After The Night
by LilyGhost
Summary: Stephanie loses another car but gains something far more valuable ... a new life with Ranger.
1. Chapter 1

**I was listening to the song "Light Up The Sky" by Yellowcard when I got the idea for this one-shot. The song is on youtube if any one wants to check it out. All familiar characters belong to Janet Evanovich. Any mistakes are mine. Warning for language.**

I was out the door three seconds after the call went out. I had her cell already ringing before I hit the bottom of the stairwell. No answer. Fuck! I knew her car was on fire somewhere near Stark, but I didn't know if anyone was hurt. Car fires are nothing new to Stephanie Plum. And she usually walked away from them without getting badly hurt. But one of these days her luck was going to run out. I just prayed that today wasn't that day.

I screeched out of the garage and got to the accident sight in under five minutes. There's a reason why my cars were always new and always fast. I scanned the area as I got out of the Turbo and spotted Steph. Her eyes were fixed on the ball of fire that used to be her car so she didn't notice me right away. She must really be upset if the tingling she claimed to feel along her neck telling her that I was near wasn't getting a reaction. I wasted no time crossing the lot to where she was standing. She had her arms wrapped around herself and looked like she was seconds away from crying. I was pulling her into my arms before I even realized what I was doing. I could feel her hands at my back, her fingers clutching my T-shirt like it was a life line. Maybe for her it was. We were standing locked together, not bothering to acknowledge the activity around us when an angry Italian voice interrupted.

"What the hell happened now, Cupcake?"

I felt Stephanie stiffen in my arms at the sound of his voice. She took a deep breath, lifted her head from where it had been tucked into my chest, and let her arms drop. I instantly felt the loss as she turned and faced Morelli.

"I'm okay, Joe," she said."Thanks for asking."

I couldn't keep the grin off my face at that answer. I still couldn't figure out why she chose to listen to his constant tirades. I know that I've been accused of not saying enough, but that has to better than listening to the crap that flew out of Morelli's mouth every time Steph found herself in the middle of something. I wanted to kick my own ass for ever saying that he was better for her than I was. I made a mistake. One that I couldn't fix it since they'd been mostly together ever since. I could see that Morelli was working up a good head of steam now, and it wouldn't be long before it all came rushing out. Maybe he'd shoot himself in the foot here and I'd have the chance I've been waiting for.

"I had just walked into the station when they told that me your car got bombed. Again. Would you like to tell me why?"

"Not especially, no."

"Why can't you just face the fact that you can't do this?" Morelli asked her."You end up spending more time with the police than the people you try to bring in do. Why can't you find something you're good at instead of being stubborn and sticking with this job when clearly you can't do it?"

I could see his temper flare and hear his voice start to rise, so I decided to step in before he made the situation worse. I wasn't doing for him, but Steph has had a hell of a night and he didn't need to make it worse.

"Are you free to leave, Babe?" I asked her."Or do you still need to talk to the police first?"

Joe wasn't smart enough to back off."I am the police, Manoso, remember?"

Steph answered before I could say anything to him."You are, Joe, but maybe I don't want to talk to you. Did you ever think of that?" Steph asked him."You don't even bother to ask how I am anymore before you start in on me. Did it ever occur to you to ask yourself why?"

"Now is not the time for this, Cupcake," Morelli said.

"I think it's the perfect time," Steph said."These days, you don't seem to care at all about my well being unless it has something directly to do with yours. Well I'm done! I'm not putting up with it anymore!"

"Stephanie, you don't know what you're saying," Morelli said, shaking his head."Come on, I'll take you home. And after you get some sleep we can discuss this rationally."

Steph's hands went to her hips and I knew Morelli was just about to have his balls handed to him. I took a step back and just enjoyed the show.

"You're not listening to me! I'm not going anywhere with you. Tonight, tomorrow, or the day after. And I'm not talking to you, either. I mean it. This passive aggressive thing we have going is over. I almost didn't make it out of that," she said, gesturing to the burning pile of metal,"and it made me realize a few things. One of them being that I don't think we should waste anymore of each others' time. I mean look at you right now. You're not even concerned about the fact that I came close to dying tonight!"

Hearing her say that made the fear I'd put aside come racing back to the forefront of my mind.

"That's not true, Steph," Morelli said."I was just worried, that's all. You can understand that, can't you? Let's just go home and we can talk about this."

I could see that Stephanie was close to her breaking point. It looked to me like she'd said what she needed to and was now going to collapse under the stress of it.

"I'll see that she gets home," I told Morelli.

"Nice of you to offer, Manoso," Morelli said, not even trying to keep the sarcasm from his voice,"but she's coming with me."

"You want to bet on that?" I asked him. Stephanie's eyes flicked back and forth between the two of us sensing trouble.

Joe's eyes narrowed and for one moment I willed him to take a swing at me. I wouldn't mind beating some sense into him, but I could tell Steph didn't need anything else to happen tonight.

"Ranger can take me home," she said to Morelli.

Joe zeroed in on her."Be very careful what you say, Stephanie, because if you leave with him right now, there's no fucking way I'll ever take you back."

Steph turned to me."Ready?" she asked me. If I was a different kind of man, everyone in Jersey would know how happy that one word made me.

The differences between Morelli and I couldn't have been more obvious than they were tonight. He was ready to go off into another self indulgent tantrum, and I just wanted to take Steph back to Rangeman and go over every inch of her to convince myself that she really was okay.

After one more glare at Steph and I, Morelli stalked off. I had to know if she was serious about leaving with me. "Are you sure about this, Babe? He looked like he meant it this time."

"You know what, Ranger? I think he did mean it. And so did I."

I hoped it was true, but I've seen this happen over and over again. They'd get mad. They'd break up. And then they'd get back together a week later. At least, I'd have tonight with her before they did. Although it wasn't ideal; because I wanted her for more than a night, I'd accept it.

I wrapped my arm around her waist and moved her towards my Turbo. I didn't bother asking her where she wanted to go. I just put the car in drive and headed to Rangeman.

She was sitting in the passenger seat with her head leaning against the window, her eyes closed. That wasn't something I was worried about. What I _was_ worried about, was the fact that she had been absolutely silent during the ten minute drive. Now I know why she always found my 'driving zone' frustrating. She's had a lot of close calls up till tonight, but she always bounced back. Often making jokes about how she got to be in the situation to begin with. Tonight was different. And I had to say that she was making me uneasy.

I pulled into the underground garage below Rangeman and shut the car off."Come on, Babe, you've had a rough night," I waited for her to slide out of the car, and put my arm back around as we headed towards the elevator.

"Do you want to talk about it?" I asked her after we walked into my apartment. I didn't want to hear her say she was going to forgive and forget what had happened with Morelli, but I wanted her to know I was here for her no matter what.

"Not right now. Tomorrow okay?"

"Whatever you want, Babe."

She went to take a shower, and since she didn't have any clothes here other than her uniforms, I left out one of my T-shirts to sleep in. Ella had noticed a few of them were missing and I was pretty sure I knew where they went. The thought of her sleeping in my clothes, even though she wasn't technically with me, filled me with a sense of satisfaction that I wasn't prepared for.

After twenty minutes I could hear the shower still running. I knew Steph really liked my shower, but this was excessive even for her. Plus, I suddenly had a strong feeling that she needed me. I forced myself to try opening the door first by the handle instead of just breaking it down like I wanted to. She had left it unlocked which was surprising. We both knew it wasn't safe to tempt each here, since there was no one around to stop us if we started anything. I looked towards the shower and saw her sitting on the floor of it, her arms holding her knees close to her chest, obviously sobbing.

I've been sent out on suicide missions. I've been tortured on more than one occasion. And I've killed more than I'm comfortable with some days, but I couldn't take the sight of Stephanie Plum crying. I opened the glass door and turned the water off. She finally picked her head up to look at me.

"You can do a lot of things in my shower, Babe," I said to her,"but crying isn't one of them." I pulled her out of the shower, and quickly wrapped a towel around her.

"I'm all right," she finally said."I just lost it there for a minute. It's been a long day."

"I know it has," I said to her."That's why I brought you here, so you could deal with it without being disturbed by anyone."

I brought my T-shirt and a pair of her embroidered Rangeman panties into the bathroom for her, and closed the door behind me so she could get dressed. If a T-shirt and panties could be considered dressed. Of course, if Stephanie was the one wearing them I'd argue that, and say that she was_ over_-dressed.

I let her get settled into bed before I changed into my silk boxers and climbed in behind her. I wasn't going to try anything, but I wanted her to know that she wasn't alone. I held her until she finally fell asleep. I wasn't as lucky in the sleeping department. Having her in my arms was causing a predictable response. But more than that, I didn't like the idea that she was that heartbroken over another man. Even if it was the man that I had pushed her back to. I closed my eyes and just concentrated on the sound of her breathing.

Steph was still lying in my arms a few hours later, her head pillowed on my chest, and I felt the moment she came awake. I could tell without looking at the clock that it was around three in the morning. I wasn't sure if she was going to say something or go right back to sleep. I heard her sigh and knew she was finally ready to talk. I tightened my arms around her, letting her know that I was awake.

"I'm sorry about tonight," she said to me."I don't know what got into me. I've been through worse than someone trying to blow my car up with me in it. You'd think I'd be numb to it now."

"Believe me, Babe, you don't want want to become numb to anything. I know from experience that you miss out on too much that way."

"What do you mean?" She asked.

I didn't want to get into that until I knew how long the Morelli split was going to last."What happened tonight?" I asked, getting back to the conversation.

"The same thing that always happens to me." She gave a small laugh."I brought in Gabriel Ruelard yesterday morning. It was a good capture, too. He was young and not too bright. I was able to convince him without too much effort to come back to the station with me. Unfortunately, Vinnie didn't bond him out again; said he wasn't worth the money. So later on, when I was staking out another FTA near Stark Street, his brother decided to show how unhappy he was with me for getting his little brother locked up again. He threw a Molotov cocktail at my car. I made it out a minute or so before the gas tank caught. He must have been close by when I picked up Gabriel to know what car I was driving."

She sounded matter of fact now, but I remembered how she looked when I arrived. And I knew she had been more scared than she let on."And the brother?" I asked.

"I told the police about Martin, Gabriel's brother, being the one that blew up my car. I'm assuming they have him in custody by now. He's not hard to find, and he has a big mouth. He's probably already told half of Trenton about what he'd done."

"That's an exciting night even for you," I said to her, brushing a kiss to the top of her head."And then you had a fight with Morelli on top of it." I caught one of her curls between my fingers and was testing the elasticity of it, not thinking that I had given anything away with my comment, when she tipped her head back and looked up at me. In any other relationship this would appear completely fucked-up. Stephanie wearing _my_ shirt, sleeping in _my_ bed, comfortable in _my _arms, while talking about her relationship with another man. Well, my mother had always said that I never chose the easy path in anything that I did. I guess she was right once again.

"I wasn't crying over Morelli," she said."If anything, I feel relieved that we've finally ended it. We love each other, but we're not right for each other. I've never had the backbone to do it before, but I finally figured out what I want in my life. And it wasn't what I had with Joe. What I was crying about was that even though I know exactly what I want, I probably won't ever get it. And realizing that I could really die at any moment just brought that point home to me."

I didn't know what to say. That sounded promising, but she didn't come right out and say that_ I _was what she wanted. Fuck it! Maybe it was time that I man up and just tell her what she means to me. I wasn't as hesitant as I thought I would be at the thought. It somehow seemed easier to admit to what I was feeling in the darkness of the bedroom. I had the woman that I craved in my arms where she belonged, and the knowledge that whatever I said tonight wouldn't leave this room when the sun came up. I felt free to finally give in to what I had been denying for years.

"You know that I want you, Babe. That I have wanted you. But it doesn't stop there."

"What are you saying?" She asked me.

"I'm saying that if you and Morelli are over for good, and you have no plans on going back to him, I want to give the two of us a chance. I've been to a lot of places, and I've had contact with many different types of people, but I've never been faced with someone quite like you. Do you know how rare it is for a man like me to come across a person like you? Someone who doesn't want to use me for my reputation. Who respects me, but not out of any sense of fear. You see more of the man that I am over the image I project. You're not impressed by the money that I've made; in fact you seem to be more embarrassed by it. And now that I've become a part of your life, I don't want to _ever_ lose what we have. But I also want to add to it. I need more than just sex from you. I want equal parts of every aspect of your life."

"Are you saying you want a relationship with me?"

"Babe, we're already in one," I said to her."I just want to have clearer perimeters around it."

"Hmm ..."

"It's not going to be easy, Babe," I said to her, giving her more time to digest what I had just said."You'll need to have more protection around you at all times. You're going to have to deal with more crap than you and Joe had ever produced. And your mother and Morelli will make your life hell if you let them. Are you up for that?"

"For the first time, I think I'm one step ahead of you, Ranger," she said."I've already thought about all of those things, and I'm willing to deal with any security, gossip, and family if you are."

"Be very, very, sure, Babe," I said to her, serious,"because if you start something with me there is no walking away for either one of us. I've never settled for half of anything until I met you. And I plan on rectifying that. If I do have you, I want every part. No more excuses about potential danger or differences in lifestyles. If you want me in the same way that I want you, than the only thing that will separate us is death. That's how committed I am to what we could have together. Does that scare you?"

"Nope," she said.

That's all I get? I finally say what I've been keeping from everyone, including myself, for years and all I get is a _nope_? I don't think so. I grabbed her shoulders and slid her the rest of the way up the bed so that her head was on the pillow facing me.

She had a big smile on her face, and I was momentarily distracted from what I was about to say.

"I'm up for anything you want to throw at me," she said to me, closing the small distance between us again."And from the feel of it you're up for anything, too."

Seconds later, my boxers hit the floor along with her T-shirt and my last wall of defense against her.

The sun was making it's way into the sky, but neither of us noticed. We were busy making our own light.


	2. Chapter 2

**I had planned on this story only being one chapter long, but I have a tendency to think of other ideas after I've already posted the story. With this one, I wanted to add what was going through Stephanie's mind that night. I also wanted to say a quick 'Thank You' to the people who left guest reviews for chapter 1.**

**Stephanie's POV**

One minute I was trying to keep myself from nodding off while watching Jonas Lahey's house, and the next I saw a little bottle hurling it's way towards my car. I had just enough sense to grab my bag before hauling my ass out of the drivers seat. Good thing I did, because the damn car immediately caught. As I was scrambling away from the heat of the blaze, I caught sight of Martin Ruelard smirking at me as he slinked away. I could feel my heart take a sudden dive. I had managed to make a nearly flawless apprehension and I couldn't even enjoy it. Instead, I had to stand here, alone, as the flashing lights and sirens got closer, and watch my car of two whole weeks burn.

I knew Morelli and Ranger would be arriving soon. And the thought of that made my stomach churn. One, because I knew Morelli would be angry. And when he was angry, there was no reasoning with him. What was new, was the fact that I didn't even want to try this time. And the second thing that made my insides feel like I had ridden one roller coaster too many ... was Ranger. I took breath and started to shake. Ranger was going to be pissed, but not at me. He would want to get his hands, or his men's hands, on Ruelard, but he'd be more concerned about how I was. Some days, I felt privileged to call Ranger my friend. On others, I couldn't help but curse him, too, for the same thing. Morelli was a good man, most of the time, but he could never be Ranger.

Ranger has been my mentor, my employer, and my constant support system, but he's never been something that I could call mine. And knowing that he loved me, worried about me, and desired me, all the while not letting me into his life, was a hard thing to grasp at times. This being one of them. I could feel moisture gathering in the corners of my eyes. Only sheer determination kept the tears from falling. I'll be damned if I let myself cry over my stupid car, or my love life, but keeping my emotions contained was proving harder than I thought.

When the police showed up, I gave them all the information that I could while operating solely on autopilot. I answered questions. I gave a description of Martin. I made arrangements for my car. But my mind hadn't really been involved in the conversation. I couldn't stop the one constant thought that kept repeating itself over and over again inside my head_ 'I could have died. I could have died.' _And what exactly would I have left behind, aside from Rex, if I did? A "boyfriend" that didn't really know me? A man that had repeatedly told me that he loved me, but would never commit to me? An apartment full of cast-off pieces of furniture that I wouldn't miss if this had happened to my apartment instead of my car? I really didn't have anything of worth in my life, and it was an eye-opening thought.

I was so involved in my mental pity party, that I didn't notice anything going on around me until a pair of strong arms pulled me against an even stronger body. Ranger. I bit back a sob. It would be him. If anyone had the power to make me break my vow of not crying, it would be him. I wasn't about to make a fool of myself, but I wasn't going to turn away from his comfort, either. I let myself just melt into Ranger until Joe's voice interrupted.

"What the hell happened now, Cupcake?"

This night couldn't get any worse, I thought to myself. I braced myself, then faced the man that had been a significant part of my life for years.

"I'm okay, Joe," I said."Thanks for asking." It always surprised me how he can claim to love me, and want to marry me, but he didn't seem to be aware of anything involving me until something like this happened.

"I had just walked into the station when they told me that your car got bombed. Again. Would you like to tell me why?"

"Not especially, no." I wasn't going to defend myself to him again. Not with cops all around. And definitely not when Ranger was standing close by listening.

"Why can't you just face the fact that you can't do this?" He had the nerve to ask me."You end up spending more time with the police than the people you try to bring in do. Why can't you find something you're good at instead of being stubborn and sticking with this job when clearly you can't do it?"

I knew Joe had a problem with my job; he's made no secret about the fact that he hated it, but saying that I was pretty much unskilled and incompetent when I_ did _just bring in someone without any drama at all was uncalled for.

Ranger spoke before I could suggest where Joe could stick his opinions about me and my work.

"Are you free to leave, Babe? Ranger asked me."Or do you still need to talk to the police first?"

I was about to tell him I couldn't wait to get the heck out of here, when Morelli butted in again.

"I am the police, Manoso, remember?"

I wasn't going to let him drag Ranger into this."You are, Joe, but maybe I don't want to talk to you. Did you ever think of that?" I said to him."You don't even bother to ask how I am anymore before you start in on me. Did it ever occur to you to ask yourself why?"

"Now is not the time for this, Cupcake," Morelli said to me.

After what he had said earlier, I wasn't about to let him get out of answering me."I think it's the perfect time. These days, you don't seem to care at all about my well being unless it has something directly to do with yours. Well, I'm done! I'm not putting up with it anymore!"

"Stephanie, you don't know what you're saying," Morelli said, using that tone of voice that always made me want to make direct contact with a part of his anatomy. And not in a good way."Come on, I'll take you home. And after you get some sleep we can discuss this rationally."

I stuck my hands on my hips to prevent myself from possibly choking him with them. Now on top of being stupid and inept, I was being called irrational, too?

"You're not listening to me! I'm not going anywhere with you. Tonight, tomorrow, or the day after. And I'm not talking to you, either. I mean it. This passive aggressive thing we have going is over. I almost didn't make it out of that," I said, looking once again at the end result of a well thrown bomb,"and it made me realize a few things. One of them being that I don't think we should waste anymore of each other's time. I mean look at you right now. You're not even concerned about the fact that I came close to dying tonight!"

"That's not true, Steph. I was just worried, that's all. You can understand that, can't you? Let's just go home and we can talk about this."

The word _home _struck me. Morelli's house was his home, not mine. No matter how many times I'd stayed there, I was always acutely aware that it was his space. Then again, my apartment didn't really feel like _home_ to me, either.

"I'll see that she gets home," Ranger said.

"Nice of you to offer, Manoso, but she's coming with me?"

"You want to bet on that?" I heard Ranger ask.

Shit. This was my fault. Ranger and Morelli had been able to coexist peacefully until I became involved with the two of them. Now it seemed like every time they came within five feet of each other it became a pissing contest. I fought back a nervous laugh at the irony of it. One man didn't want the real me. And the other didn't want me at all unless it involved a bed. And here they were about to come to blows over me. It didn't make any sense. But nothing about my life did, so why would I assume their feelings for me would be any different? I wanted this day to be over. And the quickest way would be for me to just go with Ranger. He doesn't talk while he drives, so it would be the next best thing to being alone.

"Ranger can take me home," I told Morelli. I could almost hear his neck snap as he whipped his head around to look at me instead of Ranger.

"Be very careful what you say, Stephanie, because if you leave with him right now, there's no fucking way I'll ever take you back."

If I hadn't already dumped him, I would have just for that comment alone."Ready?" I asked Ranger. I thought I could see a little bit of amusement in Ranger's eyes, but it was quickly gone so I couldn't be sure. Morelli continued to glare at us for a solid minute before finally stalking off.

After he was out of earshot Ranger spoke."Are you sure about this, Babe? He looked like he meant it this time."

I hoped to God that he did."You know what, Ranger? I think he did mean it, and so did I."

I let him lead me to the Porsche's passenger seat. Ten minutes and I could be alone to process what the hell had happened tonight. I almost became incinerated. I broke up with the man that I had been with for years; although I'm positive the break up would have happened anyway with or without my car biting the dust. And if I thought my life was pathetic an hour ago, now it was even worse. Now there was one more person out there who probably wouldn't have cared if I hadn't walked away from the explosion. Maybe that was unfair. Sure, Morelli was mad, but I don't really think he would wish death by car bomb on me.

"Come on, Babe, you've had a rough night."

I hadn't even realized the car had stopped. I looked around, surprised that we were at Rangeman. Guess I was going home with Ranger. I didn't think this was a good idea. I wouldn't have to worry about Morelli showing up, or my mother calling, but I'd be surrounded by Ranger and all of his things here. It wasn't easy to keep my distance from him on a good day. Never mind when my emotions were all over the place like they are tonight. The potential for saying, or doing, the wrong thing was high.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Ranger asked while I was putting my shoulder bag down. I seemed to have had a death grip on it ever since I had to let go of Ranger. At least I had my stuff with me so I wouldn't have to cancel my credit cards or get a new license. See, every smoke cloud has a silver lining, I thought to myself.

"Not right now. Tomorrow okay?" I said to him. I didn't want to talk_ at all_, and especially not about anything that went on in the last two hours.

"Whatever you want, Babe."

Ranger left me to the luxury of his shower. I got the water to the perfect temperature, not that anything in Ranger's place would be anything but perfect, and I was doing a good job of holding it together until I opened the bottle of his shower gel. One whiff of Bulgari and everything just let go. My emotions, my tears, and my legs. To me the scent of Bulgari brought feelings of safety, love, lust, and everything that I could never have with him. And now that I was on emotional overload, I was trapped behind the shower door surrounded by it.

I continued to cry everything out of my system until I heard the door opening and the water being turned off. I guess I'd been in here longer than I thought if Ranger felt the need to come in and get me.

"You can do a lot of things in my shower, Babe, but crying isn't one of them."

He wrapped a huge towel around my wet body. I didn't want him to think that I was completely unable to care for myself no matter what it had looked like."I'm all right," I told him, closer to meaning it this time."I just lost it there for a minute. It's been a long day."

"I know it has," Ranger said."That's why I brought you here, so you could deal with it without being disturbed by anyone."

He let me go to grab the Rangeman clothes that I had left here. He dropped them onto the vanity, and softly closed the door behind him so I could get dressed. This is exactly why my relationship with Ranger was so confusing. I mean, what other man would not be freaked out when a woman broke down in his bathroom, but instead went to find her some clothes to change into because he knew she didn't have anything with her? Who didn't press for answers when he knew I wasn't ready to give them. Every time I thought I had my feelings for him under control, something like this would happen and my head, never mind my heart, would be all messed up again.

I quickly towel dried my hair and left the safety of the bathroom. I noticed that Ranger had the bed already turned down, and I wasted no time sliding under the covers. I was minutes away from unconsciousness, and I couldn't wait. I heard the rustle of clothes and knew that Ranger was taking his uniform off. I was half praying that he would put something else on, and half praying that he wouldn't. I didn't think my brain was up for anymore excitement tonight no matter what variety it was, but it was still hard to ignore what Ranger does to me.

I felt him slide into the bed next to me and when he pulled me to him, I could feel the silk of his boxers against me. I got as close as I physically could to him and just enjoyed the feeling of being in his arms, if only for tonight, and finally felt myself drifting off to sleep.

The room was still dark when I opened my eyes again. I registered the fact that I was in Ranger's bed, and that my hand and my head were resting on the muscles of his chest. Ranger's arms tensed around me, and I knew he'd probably been awake the whole time I was sleeping. Yes, he would wait until I could talk about it, but he still wanted to know all the details of what happened. And he would stay up all night if that meant he could get them faster. I sighed and started talking.

"I'm sorry about tonight," I said to him."I don't know what got into me. I've been through worse than someone trying to blow my car up with me in it. You'd think I'd be numb to it by now."

"Believe me, Babe, you don't want to become numb to anything. I know from experience that you miss out on too much that way."

Ranger's thoughts, much like his life, were so private that I couldn't even begin to guess at what he was referring to. It could be _anything_."What do you mean?" I asked.

He, of course, put the focus back on me."What happened tonight?" He asked instead of answering.

Oh well, I shouldn't be surprised. Ranger only shared what he wanted to. Unfortunately, I wanted to be that _someone _who he _would _share things with, but we've never gotten to that place. And we probably never will.

"The same thing that always happens to me." I laughed at the truth of it."I brought in Gabriel Ruelard yesterday morning. It was a good capture, too. He was young and not too bright. I was able to convince him without too much effort to come back to the station with me. Unfortunately, Vinnie didn't bond him out again; said he wasn't worth the money. So later on, when I was staking out another FTA near Stark Street, his brother decided to show how unhappy he was with me for getting his little brother locked up again. He threw a Molotov cocktail at my car. I made it out a minute or so before the gas tank caught. He must have been close by when I picked up Gabriel to know what car I was driving."

"And the brother?" Ranger asked.

"I told the police about Martin, Gabriel's brother, being the one that blew up my car. I'm assuming they have him in custody by now. He's not hard to find, and he has a big mouth. He's probably already told half of Trenton about what he'd done."

"That's an exciting night even for you," He said, brushing a kiss to the top of my head."And then you had a fight with Morelli on top of it."

He was toying with one of my curls as he said this. To anyone who didn't know Ranger, that would have sounded like a casual statement. But I've come to know Ranger pretty well and I knew he meant something more. I looked up at him trying to see his face to figure out what that something might be. It was probably pointless, I know, because Ranger never gave anything away, but I had to try.

"I wasn't crying over Morelli," I said."If anything, I feel relieved that we've finally ended it. We love each other, but we're not right for each other. I've never had the backbone to do it before, but I finally figured out what I want in my life. And it wasn't what I had with Joe. What I was crying about was that even though I know exactly what I want, I probably won't ever get it. And realizing that I could really die at any moment just brought that point home to me."

Ranger surprised me big time when he spoke again."You know that I want you, Babe. That I have wanted you, but it doesn't stop there."

"What are you saying?" I asked him, not wanting to mistake anything that he said. It was too important.

"I'm saying that if you and Morelli are over for good, and you have no plans on going back to him, I want to give the two of us a chance. I've been to a lot of places, and I've had contact with many different types of people, but I've never been faced with someone quite like you. Do you know how rare it is for a man like me to come across a person like you? Someone who doesn't want to use me for my reputation. Who respects me, but not out of any sense of fear. You see more of the man that I am over the image I project. You're not impressed by the money that I've made; in fact you seem to be more embarrassed by it. And now that I've become a part of your life, I don't want to _ever_ lose what we have. But I also want to add to it. I need more than just sex from you. I want equal parts of every aspect of your life."

"Are you saying you want a relationship with me?"

"Babe, we're already in one," Ranger said."I just want to have clearer perimeters around it."

"Hmm," I said, not having the words to explain how I was sure isn't what I had expected the night to turn into. It went from being one of the worst to one of the best in a matter of hours.

"It's not going to be easy, Babe," he said to me."You'll need to have more protection around you at all times. You're going to have to deal with more crap than you and Joe had ever produced. And your mother and Morelli will make your life hell if you let them. Are you up for that?"

"For the first time, I think I'm one step ahead of you, Ranger," I said."I've already thought about all of those things, and I'm willing to deal with any security, gossip, and family if you are."

"Be very, very, sure, Babe," he said, his tone making it clear that he meant what he said,"because if you start something with me there is no walking away for either one of us. I've never settled for half of anything until I met you. And I plan on rectifying that. If I do have you, I want every part. No more excuses about potential danger or differences in lifestyles. If you want me in the same way that I want you, than the only thing that will separate us is death. That's how committed I am to what we could have together. Does that scare you?"

"Nope," I said. It wasn't the most eloquent answer I could have given, but I didn't really need to say anything else. I knew now probably wasn't the best time to tease Ranger, but I couldn't help myself. Ranger must have agreed, because I went from lying comfortably against his chest, to sharing the same pillow, facing him. I couldn't keep the smile off my face when I looked at the man in front of me.

"I'm up for anything you want to throw at me," I said, stretching out against him again."And from the feel of it you're up for anything, too."

There were things that I needed to say to him; things that he needed to hear, but as soon as our lips met, the time for talking was through. There would always be a tomorrow for us now.

The sun was shining high when we woke. Ranger was still in bed with me. And not only because I was draped over his body, either. Neither one of us wanted what was started last night to end. And there were a few things that I wanted to tell Ranger before the rest of the world heard the news about us, or about what went on last night. It was kind of fitting, Ranger had the dark of night to confess his thoughts and feelings. And I had the bright light of day to confess mine. Both powerful in their own right. And probably more telling of our personalities. Ranger liked secrecy. And I always wanted full disclosure. No matter the differences, we were going to make this work.

Ranger had his hands in my hair again, waiting for me to completely wake up. I used to think that my hair was my worst feature, after my temper, but somehow knowing how much Ranger liked it had me finally thanking my Italian side of the family for it. I picked my head up and looked at the clock. It was almost lunchtime. If Tank had any hair I'm sure he would be pulling it out by now wondering what the heck had happened to Ranger.

"I already talked to Tank," Ranger said, nodding his head in the direction of the cell phone that was sitting next to him on the nightstand.

After what happened with the fire, and what Ranger and I had done with each other throughout the night, I must have been totally out not to have heard Ranger make the call.

"I'm taking a personal day."

I smiled at that."Personal, huh?" I said to him.

"They don't know exactly _how_ personal, but they will soon"

I slid my body up his chest so I could kiss him. When I pulled back Ranger was the one smiling.

"I could get used to waking up like this," he said.

"There's no could," I told him."You _are_ going to wake up to this, everyday, if I have any say in the matter."

"Babe, I can promise you that you'll have a very large say in the matter."

"Good to know, because I don't plan on going anywhere. Now about last night ..."

"Steph, you don't have to tell me anything," Ranger said."I have you where I want you and that's all that matters."

"That's sweet of you to say, Ranger, but not necessary," I told him."I want you to know exactly what you mean to me, what you have meant to me, even if it takes me a few minutes to find the right words."

I took a deep breath before locking eyes with him again."Ever since I met you, I have been fascinated by you. First as a bounty hunter, then as a businessman, and later as the man behind the street name 'Ranger'. I've considered myself lucky to have you at my back through the years, but lucky can't even begin to describe the feeling of having you say that you want me in your life," I continued, wanting to clear up everything."I realize now that I was staying with Morelli because I thought you couldn't offer me anything more than a night whenever the mood struck. That was wrong on many levels. It wasn't fair to any of us. And it took something like this for me to see that. After the DeChooch deal, I should have called it quits with Morelli once and for all. I knew there was no way of getting you out of my head, especially after we slept together. Maybe if I had broken up with Joe then, things would have turned out differently for us. But I supposed the what if's aren't important, since we're together now in every sense of the word."

"You can't change the past, Babe."

"That's true," I said."But I wanted you to know that I don't plan on repeating it, either. What I had with Joe wasn't healthy. And I'm not going to make the same mistake twice. You're the one that I want to be with, and I'm not going to do anything to ruin what we have."

"All that introspection came out of one night?"

"Yes," I said to him."And what about you? You didn't share any of what you were feeling before my car died. So you're one to talk."

"The thought that a day could come that I wouldn't be able to see your face ever again was a big motivator."

"I never thought I'd say this," I said to Ranger,"but I'm so glad my car blew up. We may never have gotten to this point if it hadn't."

"I'd like to think that we would have figured this out eventually without me almost losing you."

"I've always been accused of being a slow learner," I said to him.

"And I've be known to be hard-headed," Ranger said."At least, that's what my family has called me in the past."

"See we are perfect for each other," I said, smiling."Who else would put up with us?"

"I don't know, Babe," Ranger said, sliding his hands up my back."But I don't want to have to ever find out."

I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him again. I would say that the last eight hours have been the closest I've ever come to heaven, but seeing as how I did almost die; and I didn't think I was bad enough to go to hell, this was a very, very, _very_, close second.


	3. Chapter 3

**I got to thinking about the title of this story and thought I should write a little about what happened after that night when Stephanie and Ranger leave the safety of his apartment for the first time after confessing their feelings for one another. All characters belong to Janet Evanovich. Any mistakes are mine.**

Finding myself sprawled on top of Ranger when I woke up was something that has happened in the past, but I've never had the chance to truly savor the moment before. There was always guilt or Ranger's conscience that stopped me. But this morning, I was appreciating everything that I'd been missing. The feel of his skin against mine, the steady sound of his heart beating under my ear, the way his hand was resting on my lower back as if he wanted to make sure that I didn't move away from him. And lastly, the dark eyes that I knew were watching me take it all in. That damn smile was back. Not that it had ever really left my face in the past day and a half since we've been holed up in his apartment. Ranger had called down to the fifth floor a couple of times to talk to Tank, and I'd called my mother to let her know that I was still breathing and that she'd hear all the details of what happened when I came over. Other than that, Ranger and I had made it only as far as the kitchen until this morning. This morning we were going to have to face the world. Funny, I wasn't dreading it as much as I thought I would.

I raised myself up on my elbows and looked at Ranger."Do we really have to get up?" I asked. Okay, so I wasn't dreading it, but I still didn't want to leave. Even with his body being nothing but solid muscle, Ranger was pretty comfy to lay on.

Ranger cupped my head in his hand and pulled me close for a good morning kiss."Are you saying that you want to spend the rest of your life in my bed, Babe?" He asked when we could breathe again.

"Maybe not all of it," I told him,"but I wouldn't mind spending a good portion of it here."

"You don't know how happy I am to hear you say that."

I thought about something else Ranger might be happy to hear, but was too afraid to say out loud before now."I love you, Ranger," I whispered.

His eyes darkened at the words."That's the first time you've ever said that to me, Babe," Ranger said.

"Yeah, I know," I said to him."I felt it, but I couldn't say it. You've told me many times that you love me, but I always thought it meant something different to you."

"That was my fault," Ranger said, letting me off the hook."I didn't give you a reason to think anything else."

"Well, that may be a little true, but you're not the only one to blame," I told him."I think I felt it too much and that's what kept me from saying it. Especially when I was still with Joe. I was scared that if I said it, it would change everything. And maybe not for the better. Not just with Joe, either. I thought it would scare you off if you knew. That you wouldn't want to be friends with me anymore for fear that you'd be leading me on."

"I'm sorry that you felt that way," Ranger said, tightening his arms around me."To tell you the truth, I'm not sure how I would have reacted if you had told me. I was denying it for so long myself. That's why I kept adding qualifiers every time I said it. Probably more for my benefit than yours."

"And now?"

"There's not one way in which I don't love you, Steph," Ranger said."From your curly brown hair, blue eyes, and beautiful body, to everything that has contributed in making you the woman that you are today."

"Even my crazy family, my unorthodox job skills, and my love of crappy food?"

"Those, too."

This sounded too good to be true."Does that mean I can stock your kitchen with Cheez Doodles and Tastykakes?"

"No."

"But you just said ..."

"I want to keep you with me for as long as I can," Ranger said."So I want you to eat better and take care of yourself."

"You just don't want me to gain anymore weight than I'm already carrying."

"Babe, you're perfect the way you are. And I'm not worried about you gaining any weight because I know that at night, I can help you burn off any extra calories that you've eaten during the day."

I laughed even though I knew he was totally serious."What should I call that," I asked,"The Manoso Method?"

"Call it whatever you want, I can guarantee results."

"I know you can. Does that mean we don't have to get up then?"

"No. I have to check in at least once this morning, otherwise Tank might walk."

I doubted that. Tank was second only to Ranger in being all business all the time.

Ranger didn't let me get too far away from him even after we got out of bed. That included the shower. Ranger may not want me crying in his shower, but there were plenty of other things he didn't mind me doing in there.

After a quick breakfast that Ella had brought up, we finally left the apartment and took the elevator down to the control room. The silence that greeted us as the doors slid open told me that there was more than the usual two men with eyes on the monitors. Probably every Rangeman who happened to be on the floor was huddled around the monitor that was covering the elevator. Let the games begin, I thought.

Ranger let go of my hand so he could wrap an arm around my waist and move my suddenly leaden feet out of the elevator and onto the fifth floor.

"Gentlemen," Ranger said, making the men almost trip over their own feet in their haste to come to attention in front of him."I'm sure all of you know, Ms. Plum ..."

After an eyeroll at that, I interrupted him."Stephanie," I told them."Call me Stephanie."

The corners of Ranger's lips kicked up in a small smile. He began again."I'm sure you all know, _Stephanie_. You're going to be seeing a lot more of her around Rangeman, and your job is to make sure she gets anything she needs when I'm not here. Got it?"

A round of 'Got it, Boss,' rang out among the guys.

I wasn't sure how comfortable I was having a building full of men hovering around me, but I knew that it was important to Ranger so I wasn't going to make an issue out of it. He did say added security was going to be a part of our relationship. But still, I had to let the guys know that I wasn't about to abuse this new 'power' I had.

"I promise I'm not to going to be a pain in the butt."

The guys laughed at that, but a look from Ranger had them falling silent again.

"Babe, if I can't be there and you have a problem, you come to one of them," Ranger said."I don't care if you think you're bothering them or not. They get paid well to be bothered."

I smiled at him. I couldn't help it. In-Charge-Ranger was really sexy."Got it, Boss," I said to him.

Ranger bent down slightly to brush a kiss across my lips."Smartass," Ranger whispered against my mouth.

The guys froze in shock at seeing this side of their boss. This side of Ranger was nothing new to me, but I still enjoyed every minute of him showing it. Especially in front of his men. It was reassuring to know that he wasn't going to hide any part of what we felt for each other.

I caught sight of Tank standing out of Ranger's line of sight smiling. And I had to admit that I was enormously relieved. After all, Tank was Ranger's best friend. And Ranger would most likely listen to his opinion. So if Tank approved of me being the woman in Ranger's life, then that would be one less person who would try to come between us. And one more person to stand up for us against anyone who tried.

I saw Tank's smile quickly fade. I tipped my head up in time to see Ranger glance over at him.

"That's all," Ranger said, focusing on his men again."Back to work."

"Yes, Sir." Again the men spoke as one.

I felt like I was standing in the middle of boot camp. All the men, except for Tank, immediately disbanded.

Tank, ignoring Ranger, came over to me."I'm happy for the two of you," he said."You both deserve each other."

I didn't like the way that sounded."Hey!" I said, punching him lightly on the arm. Not that I _could _have punched himhardon the arm without breaking my hand in the process, but still ...

His smile was back."I was just trying to say that if anyone deserves to be happy, it's you two. And you both look happier this morning than I've ever seen you."

"Thanks, Tank." I said to him."Sorry I hit you."

"Don't worry, I didn't feel a thing," he said.

I figured that, but he could have at least pretended to, I thought.

"Are you finished?" Ranger asked Tank.

"Yeah, I have to get back to work since my boss decided to take a day off and leave me to run this headache machine."

"What happened?" Ranger asked.

"The usual," Tank said."But everything's been handled."

"Good," Ranger said to Tank."You can take tomorrow off."

"Are you sure?" He asked."You might need another_ 'personal' _day."

"Don't make me regret being nice."

"That was nice?" Tank asked.

I knew they were friends, but I wasn't sure how far Ranger could be pushed."Don't you think you should take your day off and run?" I asked Tank.

"Don't worry," Tank said."He's in too good of a mood to do any serious damage to me."

I wouldn't bet on that since Ranger wasn't smiling, but I tried to intervene and they weren't going along with it. If they wanted to beat the snot out of each other, then there wasn't much I could do about it.

But all Ranger said was,"Bye, Tank."

Tank was still smiling when he walked back to his office and we headed to Ranger's. Every other time I met with Ranger here, I flopped down into the seat in front of his desk. This morning, Ranger tugged me down into his lap in full view of every Rangeman employee that happened to wander by. And I noticed that many of them had some reason to pass in front of Ranger's office more than once.

"I guess I don't need to ask if we're keeping our relationship quiet," I said, after Bobby passed by the office door for the second time in five minutes. I was, after all, sitting across Ranger's lap. And there was no way that any of them missed who I was using for a chair.

I felt Ranger stiffen against me. And not because I was sitting in his lap.

"Did you want us to?" He asked me.

"No!" I quickly said."It's just that you're so private, I wasn't sure how you wanted to handle this."

"If you're going to be with me, Babe, you're going to be with me in front of everyone," Ranger said."I'm not hiding the fact that you're mine."

"Okay."

"That's all you have to say about it?"

"Yup. I have no problem being yours," I told him."In fact, I think I'm going to enjoy it."

"_Going_ to enjoy it?" Ranger asked."You seemed to be enjoying yourself a lot last night. And this morning, too."

"All for your benefit," I told him, hoping that lightning wouldn't strike me dead for lying.

"You sure about that, Babe?" Ranger asked."I don't think a person can fake the noises you were making."

My face turned beet red. He was right, but he didn't have to use my reaction to him to his advantage. I did the only thing I could to stop him from teasing me more about still being able to blush after what we've shared in the past day and a half. I leaned forward intending to kiss him, but stopped halfway to his mouth when a person cleared their throat behind us.

"Boss?" Lester said.

I swear to God, Ranger sighed."What do you want, Santos?"

"I hate to disturb you," he said, looking like he was enjoying disturbing us,"but these papers just came in, and the owner of Eidolon Electronics wants you to look at them personally."

"Leave them on my desk, I'll read through them in a minute."

Lester showing that he didn't know when to stop talking asked."Got your hands full right now?"

I was couldn't decide if I was embarrassed or amused by that. Probably more amused, since it was tame compared to some of the stuff I've heard him say.

"Nice of you to volunteer your services for monitor duty this weekend, Santos."

"I didn't."

"You did," Ranger said,"for not knowing when to keep your mouth shut. Leave the papers and go tell Hal he has the weekend off."

"Fuck," Lester mumbled under his breath."I was just joking around."

"Look on the bright side," I told Lester,"just think of how happy you're about to make Hal."

If it was anyone but Lester I wouldn't have risked the teasing, but I knew Lester was all bark and no bite. At least, he was with me.

He looked like he was going to say something else, but one glance at Ranger stopped him. Lester wasn't going to risk anymore of his free time for the sake of whatever it was he was going to say, no matter how good he thought it was.

After Lester left, Ranger spoke."Now, where were we?"

"I believe I was about to kiss you, but the moment has passed," I said. I was trying to keep a straight face while saying it, but it didn't work. Ranger's lips turned up at the corners as he stared at my mouth.

"I'm sure I could inspire another moment," he said, before his lips covered mine.

This time it was Tank who interrupted.

"That kind of business should be done behind closed doors," he said."So maybe you should close yours."

"Am I paying everyone to stand in my doorway?" Ranger asked him.

"No, but you're distracting the guys and I can't get anything done," Tank said."I haven't seen them this worked up since Ella made those brownies for everyone."

I turned my head and looked up at Ranger."Ella made brownies? I asked him."Where the heck was I?"

"Thanks for the help, Tank," Ranger said.

Tank laughed and headed back to his office.

Ranger turned his attention back to me."You weren't hanging around Rangeman as much, Babe. It was during one of your have-to-make-things-work-with-Morelli phases."

Great. Another thing that I had missed out on while trying to fix something that was way beyond broken. And that really sucked, because I love brownies.

"Do you think she'll ever make more?" I asked, a little hopeful.

"She'll make whatever you want."

I rolled my eyes at him."I'm not going to ask Ella to make something special just for me."

"You want me to ask her?"

"No." I said, but I wasn't above considering it. Ella was amazing in the kitchen.

"I suppose I should leave so you can actually get some work done."

"You don't have to leave, we'll just close the door this time."

"Why didn't you close it last time?"

"I couldn't trust myself alone in here with you if the door had been closed."

"And now you can?"

"It's a chance I'm willing to take," he said.

"You don't have to chance it, because I have to go tell my mother what happened with my car, and us, before she hears everything from Rose Elson's second cousin."

Ranger looked like he was thinking about smiling.

"No. I'm not kidding," I told him."Eugene Brunelli works at the firehouse."

"Only you, Babe."

"I couldn't keep her from hearing about my car and the fight with Morelli, but I can tell her about us before she decides I need help with my personal life again. So I'll see you after?"

"I have to look over these," he said, gesturing to the papers Lester brought."And make a phone call. Then I should be free to go with you."

"You don't have to come with me," I told him.

"Babe, we're in this together. And if your mother is going to be difficult, I want to be there to keep you from going crazy."

"Gee, thanks."

"I didn't mean it like that."

"Uh-huh," I said."Sure you didn't."

"I want to make sure she doesn't convince you to change your mind about us."

"I can tell you that there is absolutely no possibility of that happening," I told him."There's no way of getting rid of me now. If you wanted to, you should have snuck out of the apartment this morning."

"There's no possibility of that happening," Ranger repeated.

"At least we're on the same page now," I said.

"And from now on, we're going to stay on it."

"You're the boss," I said to him, lightly kissing his mouth.

"Keep that up and you're going to be in trouble."

"No, I won't," I said."The door is still open. And we have to leave soon."

"I didn't say anything about it being now," Ranger said, his voice low."We've got the whole night ahead of us."

"Then you'd better get your work finished so we can hurry up back here after seeing my parents and get started on it."

After one last kiss, I climbed out of Ranger's lap and went to the cubby that I had claimed as mine whenever I worked here. Ranger wanted to go with me, so I figured the least I could do was spend an hour or two doing searches for his company. I didn't think doing background checks in any way equalled a visit to my parents but then again, in my opinion, nothing does. There was no changing Ranger's mind about going. And the truth is, I didn't really want to.

By the time Ranger showed up in the doorway of my cubby, I had all my work done. I had also called both Connie and Lula and gave them the details of my latest car disaster. I'd wait until my mother knew before getting into the part of Ranger and I becoming a couple. I shut my computer down and grabbed my bag. I cuddled into Ranger on the way to the elevator; happy that I could do it openly now.

Ranger drove the ten minutes to my parents' house and my Grandma Mazur was at the the door before Ranger killed the engine. And as soon as she saw Ranger get out of the car, she stood to the side of the screen door, holding it open. Probably she was hoping that Ranger would brush against her as he walked in. Ranger, proving he was smarter than most, waited until I had passed by her on my way into the house before smiling at Grandma Mazur, placing his hand on the door, and gesturing her forward under the guise of being chivalrous. Not openly showing any fear of being molested by her.

"Helen," Grandma yelled,"we got company. Stephanie and Ranger are here."

"Lunch is almost ready," my mother shouted back."I'll be out in a minute."

A slight reprieve, I thought to myself, sinking down onto the couch next to Ranger. I had just rested my head against Ranger's shoulder when my mother came in from the kitchen. She stopped dead in her tracks as soon as she saw our hands linked together. And I'm sure the fact that I was leaning against Ranger in a way that spoke of how close we've gotten since the last time Ranger was here, didn't help. She looked like her first thought was to run back into the kitchen. Okay, her first thought was probably about the whiskey she had hidden in the kitchen, but I think in her case it counted as the same thing.

She didn't comment about the obvious change in our relationship, but I knew I'd hear about it soon enough. Burg manners required you to make all the necessary pleasantries before you go in for the kill.

"Ranger," she said."How nice to see you again."

"Thank you for having me."

"Can I get you anything?" She asked."Coffee? Something else to drink?"

I think she was hoping we'd ask for something with alcohol in it."Nope," I said."We're good."

She looked over at me."You're father should be home soon," she said, backing towards the kitchen."I'll just give him a call to see how long he'll be." And she was gone.

I didn't think my father would care a whole lot that I was seeing Ranger as long as I was happy. But if it gave my mother something to focus on instead of me, than I was all for waiting. Grandma had no such problem with the change in mine and Ranger's relationship.

"Okay," Grandma said,"now that's she's out of the room tell me what happened. I see you both got your heads out of your behinds," she said."We already heard all about your car and the fight with Morelli from Linda Brunelli."

"Eugene's wife?" I asked, giving Ranger an I-told-you-so look."

"Yep. Apparently you were a real hot topic that night."

And every other night since I started this job, I thought.

"From the look of it," Grandma said, giving us a considering look, spending more time than either Ranger, or I, was comfortable with on Ranger's goods."Morelli's history, am I right?"

"Yes."

"It's about time," Grandma said."Anybody with eyes could see that you two belong together." She gave Ranger a wink."And if Stephanie wasn't smart enough to go after you, then you could have had the next best thing."

If Ranger didn't have such amazing willpower, I'm sure he would have been cringing at the thought. I never thought I'd say this, but thankfully my mother chose that moment to come back into the living room.

"Your father is on his way," she said,"if you don't mind waiting."

"No problem."

"Any you can use the time to explain why your car caught on fire again."

Guess the reprieve was over.

"Not much to tell," I told her."I brought in a skip for Vinnie and the FTAs brother didn't appreciate me doing it, so he threw something at my car and the gas tank caught."

Her lips were pressed together. Probably she was trying to keep from crossing herself in front of company. I give it two weeks before she's openly doing it in front of Ranger.

"And the argument with Joseph?" She asked with a quick glance at Ranger.

"Morelli was letting me know that he wasn't happy about having to come to another one of my crime scenes," I told her."And I, in return, told him to stick it."

"Good for you," Grandma said.

There was a reason why I was closest to Grandma Mazur than anyone else in my family.

"It's been over between us for a while," I said."I just let him know it that night."

"Why does everything in your life have to be made public?"

"Because I'm an interesting person?"

I could feel Ranger smile next to me."You are that, Babe," he said.

My mother noticed the smile."And you and ... Ranger are together now?"

"Yes," I said, letting my hand rest on his thigh.

"Isn't this a bit sudden?" She asked."You and Joseph just broke up ..."

"Not really. The feelings between Ranger and I were always there," I told her."The only difference now is that we are free to act on them."

"See, I knew you were sweet on him," Grandma said.

I suddenly remembered her saying that after Joe and I became kind of engaged. I always knew she was a lot sharper than people gave her credit for. That was the reason why half of the Burg is so nice to her; they were terrified of what she may know about them.

I thought back on that time in my life and shuddered at the memory of my mother all but forcing me to try on wedding dresses. The only thing that would have been worse was if Morelli and I would have been stupid enough to go through with it.

"Something wrong, Babe?" Ranger asked.

I forced my mind to return to the present."No," I said. Ranger didn't need to remember that part of the past, either.

"So the two of you are serious about being in a relationship?" My mother asked.

"Yes," Ranger answered before I could.

"You're not living together are you?"

"No, Mom, I still have my apartment."

"For now," Ranger whispered against my ear.

There was no way I was discussing that with my mother and grandmother two feet away from us.

I took the easy way out and turned to my mother."Can I help with lunch?"

"No," she said."Everything's ready. Your father should be here in a few minutes, so I'll start setting the table."

My mother and father had this freaky timing thing. She always seemed to know when he about to walk in the door. I thought it had something to do with the amount of time they'd been married, but now I realize it wasn't all that different from what I experience when Ranger was close by. Though, I didn't want to think about my mother having the same thoughts about my father that I have about Ranger whenever I felt that tingling along my neck.

As expected, my father pulled into the drive just as my mother was bringing the food out. She hadn't known Ranger and I would be here, but there was still enough food to feed at least three quarters of New Jersey.

"Hey, Dad," I said, as he headed to his place at the table.

Ranger was still standing by my chair."Mr. Plum," he said.

"Ranger," my father said, extending his hand."Still driving foreign cars?"

"Some of the time," he said, shaking my father's hand.

I thought my father would have a heart attack if he ever saw the lot where all the Rangeman fleet vehicles were kept.

"The guys at the lodge were still talking about your car," my dad said.

"I bet," I said, rolling my eyes again.

"It_ was _memorable, Babe," Ranger said.

I didn't think my car exploding was all that memorable but, to me, what happened after sure was.

"The paper had a real nice picture of what was left of it, too," Grandma said."I sure wish I could have seen it in person."

As long as I wasn't in the car, or the paper, I didn't care. I saw my mother knock back what looked like ice tea, but wasn't, and cross herself. Huh, she didn't even last a week. Maybe Ranger was going to blend into my family quicker than I thought.

"I didn't like that car, anyway," I said."The brakes squealed whenever they got wet."

"Bet you don't have to worry about getting a replacement now," Grandma said with another wink at Ranger.

"No," Ranger said."She doesn't."

"Hey! I'm perfectly capable of finding another piece of sh-," I looked over at my mother."POS car."

"One that was made in this country," my father added.

It didn't matter where the cars were made. I didn't discriminate when it came to killing them.

"I know you can find your own car, but Rangeman has plenty of them," Ranger said."And you _are_ an employee."

Okay, that was true, but I still felt the need to put up a mild protest."But the guys only use the Rangeman vehicles when they're on the job," I said."You let me use mine all the time."

"Babe, let me do this for you. Please," he added when I hesitated.

I hadn't paused to come up with a new argument against taking the car. I was momentarily struck by how open Ranger had become in such a short time.

"Okay," I said to him."If you want to give me a car, who am I to say no?"

I noticed my mother looking at Ranger with an expression I haven't seen before.

"I could use a car if you're that anxious to give one away," Grandma said.

"You don't have a license," I told her. It was true, but I also wanted to remind her one more time that she wasn't allowed to drive. Probably wouldn't do any good if she had it in her mind to drive somewhere, but I figured it couldn't hurt to try.

"Stupid state," she said."There's lots of drivers worse than me on the road."

I seriously doubted that. Grandma drove like she spoke. With no warnings and with the potential of mowing down of anyone in her sights.

"Everyone help yourself," My mother said, coming back out with one more tray of spiral sandwiches. This one ham and cheese. The one already on the table had turkey and something green, which I think was spinach, in them. Plus she added an antipasto platter and a huge salad. I think I saw Ranger brace himself before dishing up some salad and the least polluting turkey sandwich.

What was surprising was that instead of the usual silence that accompanied meals at the Plum house, lunch was filled with conversation. My dad was talking to Ranger about cars, sports, and Ranger's businesses. And my mother and grandmother were discussing the latest Burg scandal involving Louis Castel's son knocking up a girl from Hamilton Township. I joined in both of the conversations, but mostly just sat back and marveled at how easily Ranger dealt with my family. The awkward moments that I had been expecting never came.

There was a knock on the door when Ranger and I were getting ready to leave and my mother excused herself to answer it. I heard a familiar deep voice and mentally groaned. But, by the way Ranger suddenly tensed next to me, I thought that maybe my groan hadn't been so mental.

"Um ..." my mother said, for the first time not sure what what to do in this situation. If she let Joe in, she wouldn't have to worry about people saying that she'd been rude to him. On the flip side, she might have World War Three on her hands if she did let him in. It was kind of nice seeing the look on my mother's face that was usually on mine.

She looked over at me."Joseph would like to talk to you."

"It's okay, Mom," I told her,"I'll take care of this." She looked equal parts relieved and scared. That alone bolstered my confidence.

I took my mother's place at the door."What do you want, Joe?"

"I saw the car out front, and hoped I could talk to you."

"I think you said enough the other night, don't you?" I asked him.

"I was upset, Cupcake," he said to me."I didn't mean what I said."

"Really? Because I was upset, too, and I meant everything that I said."

Ranger came up behind me, placing his hands on my hips, pressing himself reassuringly against my back.

"Morelli," Ranger said, an obvious warning in the name.

Joe's mouth tightened, and I knew then that he had thought that I had just borrowed Ranger's car again. It hadn't even occurred to him that I wouldn't be alone. I blew out a sigh. Everything had changed between us that night, and he still didn't understand that. And now seeing Ranger here at my parents' house was obviously confusing him.

Ranger had no such confusion going on."What are you doing here, Morelli?"

"I could ask you the same thing," he said.

"Stephanie wanted to tell her family about us," Ranger said.

"Us?" Joe repeated.

"I told you, Joe, that we were over," I said, not willing to be ignored during this conversation."And if I remember correctly, you said the same thing."

"But ..."

I turned to make sure my mother and grandmother weren't standing right behind us. I knew they were eavesdropping, but at least they were being subtle about it. Probably they didn't want to chance us taking this discussion elsewhere.

"You said, and I quote_ 'there's no fucking way I'll ever take you back.' _And I'm not asking you to." I looked up at Ranger and gave him a small smile."I've got everything I want, and need, now. And I'm not interested in anything you have to say unless it's to wish me and Ranger well."

Morelli's jaw looked like it was going to crack under the pressure of his teeth grinding together."Wishing_ you _well, Cupcake, I can do if that's really what you want," Joe said, finally."But there's no way in hell I'll ever wish Manoso well."

"That's a shame, Joe, because to me they're the same thing," I said."So if that's all you have to say, we were just leaving. Weren't we Ranger?"

"I'm right behind you, Babe."

I stared Morelli down until he finally realized that I wasn't changing my mind, and called out a goodbye to my parents and grandmother. I took Ranger's hand in mine, and we brushed by Joe on the way to the Cayenne. I happened to notice that a few of the neighbors windows had faces in them. Looks like they were hoping for a show. Too bad they wouldn't get more of one. I wrapped my arm around Ranger's waist and waved to Mrs. Kelner, who lived across the street, on our way to Ranger's car.

When Ranger settled me into the passenger seat, my heart was beating a little faster but I was surprised at how calm I felt. I had told Morelli the truth. My life has everything that I want in it. And nothing else seemed to matter as much as it used to. My mother's opinion, how angry Joe would be, what the Burg would be saying about me this time. None of it bothered me anymore. I was alive. I was happy. And I had Ranger. And nobody was going to make me feel bad about any of it.

Ranger slid behind the wheel, and looked over at me."Are you all right?"

I looked out my window and saw my mother and grandmother watching Morelli climb back into his truck, then turn to look at us. I waved to them and my mind flashed over everything that had happened in the last two days.

My answer came automatically."You have no idea how all right I am," I said.

Ranger picked up my hand and brushed my knuckles with his lips."I think I do know, Babe," Ranger said."Because I feel the same way."

He put the car in drive and a strange feeling came over me. Even though I knew we'd be back at my parents' house, I felt like I was leaving my old life behind as Ranger backed out of the driveway. The lightness that I suddenly felt wasn't something that I could have described.


	4. Chapter 4

**I wanted to say thank you to everyone who has left anonymous and guest reviews for chapter 3, and to everyone who has given me ideas and suggestions for more chapters of this story. All characters belong to Janet Evanovich. Any mistakes are mine.**

**Joe's POV**

I never thought that this could happen. My temper had gotten me into trouble on more than one occasion; the scar through my eyebrow was proof of that. But ever since I focused on becoming a cop, I've worked hard to make sure that it never escalated to the point that I'd lose control of it. Until that night. But seeing Ranger with Stephanie before I even had a chance to arrive on the scene, him standing there with his arms around her where I should've been, just sent my anger into the red zone. And after, when Stephanie chose Ranger once again over me had been the last straw. My intention was to make her realize that_ I _was the one that was going to be there for her. Not some arrogant bastard who was only interested in taking what was mine. But then she got _that_ look on her face. I knew that look. It was Stephanie's I-can't-believe-you-just-said-that-to-me look. I had stepped in it big time. Again. And having _him _therewatching it happen made me lose it, and control of my mouth, at the same time. I would never put my hands on Stephanie, but I've had more than one fantasy about plowing my fist into Ranger Manoso's smug face. I would have liked to have done it that night, too, but I knew Steph would never forgive me if I had.

I've never had problems with women before Stephanie Plum. If I wanted someone I flattered, cajoled, or out-right seduced, whoever it was until I had them eating out of the palm of my hand. Stephanie was the exception. When she was six years old up until present day, she's been a constant pain. Some days she was a pain in my behind. Others, to my heart. And no matter how many times I told myself not to get involved with her again, I couldn't stay away. From that memorable day, after not seeing her for years, when I saw her through that apartment peephole when I was FTA till now, I have wanted her. And I've mostly had her, too. But then Ranger had shown interest in her as well. I wasn't used to competing with another man for a woman's affection. Never mind losing to him.

Stephanie always came home to me, but Ranger had some kind of hold on her that I didn't understand and couldn't break. I knew all about addictions from having an alcoholic asshole for a father. And I knew that they were hard to let go of, but I somehow thought that I could force Stephanie to give up hers. Instead, I just managed to piss her off and give that prick another opportunity to come between us. I wasn't proud of the way I had acted. I'm a fucking detective for chrissake! Someone that people relied on to keep a cool head. And there I was acting like a jealous teenager in front of the people I worked with.

I'm not saying that it was Stephanie's fault, but she was the only one with the power to make me act like that. Well, her and Manoso. Put the two of them together and I become a powder keg ready to blow. That's why I waited as long as I did to try calling her. We both needed to cool off before we spoke to each other again and possibly said something that we couldn't take back. I was afraid that I might have already done that, but I was sure that once she had time to think about what we meant to each other and I apologized we'd be back together again.

Ranger would always be a distraction for her, but without him offering her some type of relationship beyond what he already had, she would never be serious about him. I knew that because that was her issue with _me_ at first; that I was just looking for somebody handy to have sex with. But I've since proven to her that I was more than just a walking hormone. That I actually loved her and wanted to spend my life with her. Something that Ranger would never be able to say. Which left the door wide open for me to walk back through. Once she decided to talk to me that is.

I tried calling her apartment and her cell the next morning, but she didn't pick up. Not that I expected her to, but I had to try all the same. By lunchtime when she still didn't answer, I started asking around to see if something else had happened that I hadn't heard about. I started with the two cops that Stephanie was closest to, Eddie Gazarra and Carl Costanza. I wish I hadn't.

"There's no point in looking for her," Eddie had said."Stephanie is always going to do what she wants and no guy is going to change that. And right now she wants to stay away from you. Instead wasting your time searching for her, you should be using it to think about how close we came to losing her. It's time for you to either except her the way that she is or leave her the hell alone."

Carl was less angry, but still didn't say anything that I wanted to hear."I never thought I'd see the day where _Joe Morelli _would have to beg a woman to take him back."

"I'm not in the mood, Carl," I said.

"I know what you mean," Carl said, elbowing Big Dog."I get cranky when I know I'm not going to be getting any for a while, too."

I shot him a glare before walking away. No one else I talked to had seen her. Supper time came around and I still heard nothing from her even after leaving countless messages on her machine and voicemail. I decided to risk my balls and use the key to her apartment that she had given me. She wasn't there. I could feel my blood pressure rising again. There was only one place that she could go that kept her completely away from anyone who might be looking for her. Rangeman.

I locked the door behind me and told myself to calm down as I waited for the elevator. Stephanie has stayed at Ranger's apartment in the past and she always returned to the life she had with me afterwards. This time wouldn't be any different. If Ranger ever figured out how Stephanie felt about him I could be in trouble. But he's repeatedly told her that he doesn't want a relationship with anyone. Her included. So I knew that I didn't have to worry about him. At least, not yet.

While some people may think I'm an idiot for being obsessed with a woman who has feelings for another guy, I knew that what she felt for Manoso was temporary. As soon as Ranger fell off of the pedestal she'd put him on, she'd commit to me one hundred percent. I knew she loved me. And I was confident that once she stopped viewing Ranger as some goddamned superhero, she'd finally settle down and agree to marry me in a heartbeat.

I stopped off at my mom's house on the way home to see if the Burg grapevine had any news. As soon as she saw me, she pulled me into a hug that only an Italian mother could manage. Especially since I'm a foot taller than she is.

"Just give her time," my mother said, finally letting go of me."She'll see that you didn't mean it and you'll be back together in no time. I mean, how could she possibly resist you?"

"I guess you've heard."

"Joseph, half of Trenton knew everything minutes after it happened."

My Grandma Bella had another view on what happened between Stephanie and I."Good riddance," she said."I should put the eye on that little slut just for stringing you along all these years."

"Don't start with the eye crap again," I told her."And Stephanie isn't a slut. She'd going to be the mother of your grandchildren, so I'd start being nice to her before she decides she doesn't want you around them."

"Hah! Let her try to keep me away, I'll ..."

"You'll do absolutely nothing or you won't see me, either."

"Joseph Anthony Morelli, you don't talk to your grandmother that way!"

"If it helps to get Stephanie to marry me, then I'll talk to her anyway that I have to."

"Just calm down," my mother said."You've gone through all of this before with Stephanie, and the two of you always manage to work things out."

"Thanks for saying that, Mom."

"Why don't the two of you come over this weekend," she said to me."I'll get everyone in the family together and we'll do what we can to make her feel more welcome."

"I'll ask her about it when I see her, but I don't think there'll be any problems if you started planning it now," I said,"since I'm sure she'll say yes to coming."

I stayed and had dinner with my mother and grandmother just to have something to do besides call Stephanie's cell. I did drive by her parents' house when I left my mom's. I didn't know what I was expecting to see since she didn't have a car anymore, but I had to look anyway. Her father's cab and her mother's Buick were parked in the driveway, but there was no activity. Maybe it was for the best, I thought. One more day would probably help.

I headed back to my house, took Bob for a walk, and then put on a game to take my mind off of her. Who knew Joe Morelli, Trenton's most notorious lady's man would be sitting at home waiting by the phone to hear from one lady in particular. Steph will laugh at that when I tell her. I had no doubt that she'd call. I just had to wait to see when.

Two beers and four hours of TV later, I gave up trying to focus on the television. After years of working homicide, I was usually able to shut my mind off to all the shit that I'd seen during the day, but this time I couldn't get the look that was on Stephanie's face right before she walked away with Ranger out of my head. But not even that image would get me to believe that it was over. No matter what it looked like to everyone else. After all, this seemed to be our pattern. And although each fight had gotten a little louder over the last few months, the making up after the fight ended more than made up for it.

I climbed the stairs to my bedroom. To some it may say something about our relationship that we only kept the bare essentials at each other's place even after months of staying together. Underwear and socks, a change or two of clothes, and a few bathroom items like shampoo and razors, and that was it. We were never concerned that this could be considered a bad sign for a couple. Well, Steph has mentioned a few times that she was worried that we'd never see eye to eye about our future, but I always managed to convince her that it would eventually work itself out. I wasn't lying to her. I honestly believed that it would. That she'd come around to my way of thinking. I mean, if you look at the women surrounding her, how could she not? Her grandmother, mother, sister, and best friend, all were married and had children. And they had raised or were raising their kids by staying home with them. I thought about that for a moment, maybe I should leave Grandma Mazur out of this, because at seventy she was acting more unsettled now than Stephanie did at thirty. And that was saying something.

In the Burg having a family is expected. You got married. You had children. And you eventually died leaving everyone behind to pick apart the life that you had lived. But the Burg had already been picking Stephanie apart for years. And I didn't like what they were saying about how she would never make a good wife or mother. I smiled at that. Stephanie would rip me a new one for even having that thought. But I think deep down, she wanted the same thing. To have that kind of life, and to be able to tell the Burg to kiss her ass when she finally got it. Now I just had to get her away from Ranger, and Rangeman, so all the crazy ideas she has about staying single and working for Vinnie would stop once and for all.

I took a look around the bedroom. No, you may not be able to see any sign that Stephanie had stayed here, but her presence was everywhere. I shook my head to try to clear the thoughts from it, stripped, and climbed into bed. For some reason the bed suddenly felt a lot bigger than it had last night.

The last time that I checked the clock, it had said 2:35. I had just turned over for the hundredth time when I heard my pager go off from where I'd dumped it on the night table. I almost breathed a sigh of relief. I didn't want to be glad that someone had most likely been murdered, but I didn't want to spend anymore time laying in the dark staring up at the ceiling.

I threw on the same clothes I had taken off not that long ago, let Bob out and in again; since I wasn't sure when I'd be back, and strapped on my gun and badge on my way out the door.

The murder-suicide had been ugly. And the gang shooting that followed wasn't much better. I was finally on my way back home after working almost eleven hours straight. I thought, _what the hell, _and decided to pass by Stephanie's parents again on the way. I took it as a good sign when I saw Ranger's Cayenne parked out front. Of course he'd be right there dangling car keys in front of her face just waiting until she felt completely indebted to him before he made his move. Before he did, I had to try to fix things between Steph and I. I knew that I had the perfect chance to talk to her if she was visiting her parents. She wouldn't want to cause a scene by slamming the door in my face in front of them. Sure, she'd yell at me, call me a jerk, then yell a little more, but I was confident that we'd be in bed together before the end of the day.

I parked at the curb and walked up the little sidewalk to the door. Mrs. Plum answered after the first knock. And when she realized it was me standing there, her face lost some of it's color. I didn't know what was going on, but I immediately wanted to see Stephanie to make sure that she was all right. I heard Helen tell Stephanie that I wanted to speak to her. And then ... there she was, standing in front of me looking better than ever. I got hard thinking about what I was going to do to her when I got her back to my place. I took a deep breath and willed my body calm down. I didn't need any distractions when I was pleading my case. I did notice that she didn't look at all happy to see me. Not that I could really blame her. I acted like a domineering asshole. Something I swore I would never do to the woman I loved. And yet here I was ready to do whatever she said to get her to forgive me for acting like one. I had been prepared for her anger, but what I hadn't been prepared for was the indifferent, somewhat sarcastic tone her voice had as she asked what I wanted. But everything in my body stopped when Manoso came up behind her, putting _his_ fucking hands on _my_ girlfriend. And I had no trouble picking up on the warning in his voice when he acknowledged me.

What the hell was he doing here? I asked myself. I thought that he had just let Stephanie borrow his Cayenne again, but there was obviously something more going on here. All of a sudden, an uneasy feeling came over me. And even though I knew I wasn't going to like it, I had to know exactly what he was doing here. Did she bring Ranger along because she didn't want to see me? Was he playing bodyguard again because she'd almost gotten killed? I still couldn't let myself think about how close she came. That was why I wanted her to quit being a bounty hunter and move in with me. So something like that wouldn't happen again. Never once did I think that Ranger could have accomplished in one day what I haven't been able to in the years Steph and I had been seeing each other. But I learned different when he said that Stephanie wanted to tell her family about them. What them? She'd been with _me_ less than two days ago and now there was a them? This couldn't be happening, I thought. Ranger was the epitome of a relationship phobic. A man who didn't want emotional ties to anyone. So what the hell could he have possibly said to get her looking at him like that?

The knife twisted and out came the salt when she quoted back to me what I had said to her that night. And that asshole was there again, standing with her ... watching. I came close to losing it again when she mentioned wishing them well. Hell would freeze over three times before I ever wished anything to turn out well for him. I couldn't believe he won. He got Stephanie, obviously he had her parents' approval, and even had Stephanie defending him to me again. I always knew that he had a God complex, but to make all of this happen in such a short time? Maybe, I thought bitterly, he had earned one.

I watched them walk away in a mild state of shock. Then finally turned away from the look of pity on her mother's face. I wasted no time getting back to my truck. But once I was in it, I just sat there staring at the steering wheel. I would have thought that her parents would have been upset by Stephanie being with Ranger. He was after all a street thug with a shady past and dangerous lifestyle. I had been counting on Helen to back me if Stephanie ever decided to pursue Ranger. Her mother had always acted like she wanted Stephanie with me. But it looked like Ranger had her under his spell, too. Helen didn't offer me any encouragement. Just that damn look of pity. I could take a lot of things, pity wasn't one of them.

I turn the engine over and drove the short distance to my house on Slater Street, still not believing that this was happening to me. Stephanie and I belonged together. Everyone knew that. We were going to be the perfect Burg couple. I already had a house in the area, in a good neighborhood that was close to both of our families. Our children would have been beautiful, smart, and more than likely a handful. I hadn't been ready to think about starting a family until Stephanie moved into my house after her apartment got fire-bombed. It was only then that I had begun seeing her as more than just another conquest. I had imagined waking up to that curly hair, those blue-eyes, and her not so sunny morning disposition, for the rest of my life. We had a good game of cat and mouse going on, but I had no doubt that she would have eventually let herself be caught. And now because of a temper tantrum lasting less than five minutes, I had lost all hope of that. That I had lost it all to Manoso made it that much harder to accept.

When I had first started working at the Trenton PD, Ranger Manoso's name was spoken with a reverence usually reserved for saints and movie stars. As the years progressed, I had learned that having Ranger's help could make or break a case, because he wasn't hampered by the laws of New Jersey. And he also had connections to pretty much everyone. Cops and criminals alike. Then Stephanie Plum had come back into my life. And right into Manoso's sights. And nothing has been the same since. Every time I turned around, I was bumping into him. At crime scenes, at her apartment, and even in my own goddamn house when Stephanie and I would be having another argument about her involvement with him. No matter how many times I demanded that she sever all ties to him she wouldn't do it.

Now that I think back on it, I probably played right into his hands. She'd move out of my house and right into his arms every time. And now it looked like she'd done it for the last time. Trenton was small and I knew that I'd be bumping into them around town or, at the very least, the station. I didn't know how I was going to be able to handle that. Seeing her look at Ranger in a way that she had never looked at me was bad enough, but to see him living the life that I dreamed about was liable to make me snap. I knew I couldn't, though. If there was a chance, even a small one, that Ranger screwed up the way I did, I was going to be right there to take advantage of it like he'd been doing all these years.

I drove home and unlocked the door to the house my Aunt Rose left me. Bob rushed me as soon as I walked in. He managed to pin me to the door with his front paws and started enthusiastically licking my face. At least someone had sympathy for me, I thought. Of course, if Bob knew what was going on, and that I was the cause of him never seeing Stephanie again, he might not be so happy to see me. I pushed that thought aside, and a tiny bit hope that I hadn't felt since seeing Stephanie and Ranger together returned. There was a chance I could get her back. There had to be.

That hope was soon crushed when I saw them the next day outside of the bonds office when I was driving down Hamilton. Stephanie was leaning against the side of his truck, and Ranger had his hand resting on the truck right next to her head, smiling down at her. I almost crashed the damn unmarked police car I was driving. I've never seen Ranger like that. I've seen him angry. I've seen him offer a small smile once in a while. And I've seen him indifferent. But the open way in which he was looking down into Stephanie's face; like he didn't have a care in the whole fucking world, was something that I never thought I'd see.

As much as I would have liked to, I couldn't even blame Manoso for this. It was my own stupid jealousy and insecurity that made me say what I did. And now Ranger had everything that I wanted. And there was no way of getting it back. Of getting _her_ back. I knew what it was like to have Stephanie in my life. And if someone like Manoso was willing to wait years until she was free to claim her; and I knew from that look that he_ had _claimed her, he wouldn't let her get more than three feet away from him ever again. He'd be a lot smarter than I'd been. I've had more women than I could count, but the one woman that I needed was gone.

I was already past them, but in the rearview mirror I saw Ranger tuck a curl that had escaped her ponytail behind her ear and lower his head to hers. Out of self-preservation I forced myself to look away. I've done the exact same thing countless times, and having to see someone else touch her like that was a little more than I could stomach right now. I can still remember the way that she tasted, the feel of her body against mine, and how she looked the last time she was standing in my kitchen. I knew from experience that you could recover from a bad childhood, years spent fighting and partying, and having a reputation as someone who was nothing more than a good time, but I was afraid that loving and losing Stephanie was something that I would never recover from.


	5. Chapter 5

**It's hard to believe that this story was originally going to be a one chapter songfic told from Stephanie's POV, and now I'm on chapter five. Thanks to everyone who has encouraged me, and this story, by leaving reviews and suggestions for new chapters. All characters belong to Janet Evanovich. The mistakes are mine. Warnings for language.**

**Ranger's POV**

I knew it had been Morelli in the unmarked police car that slowly drove past Vinnie's. And I felt the exact moment that his eyes landed on Steph and I. She'd been playing with me again. Something that was fast becoming a habit with her. The smile I'd been wearing after Stephanie had poked me in the stomach and then complained that she'd hurt her finger, grew. I wasn't going to feel bad for Morelli. He'd had plenty of time to show Stephanie exactly what she meant to him. And he continually blew it. And for that I'd be forever grateful, but I wasn't feeling any remorse for finally manning up and doing what he apparently couldn't, or wouldn't, do.

It was still hard to believe that after all this time Stephanie was mine. That we were free to be together anyway we chose without fear of people finding out. We were standing just feet away from the alley that I used to drag her into just to be able to kiss her. We'd come so far from those days in just a few short hours. I was still surprised at just how good things are between us now. And I didn't mean just in the bedroom. She relaxed the men at Rangeman, sometimes even around me. She'd also shown interest in my business by offering to meet with potential clients when I told her how well people react to her. And she shocked me this morning by getting up early and working out with me in the gym. She claimed that she would double her heartrate and burn more calories if she got to watch me lift weights while she ran on one of the treadmills. That was something that only Stephanie would say. Or should I say, only something Stephanie would have gotten away with saying.

It seemed like everything had changed between us. And also like nothing had. We've always worked well together, but we seemed to be even more in tune with each other. The chemistry between us hasn't faded, it appears to have only gotten stronger. And my protective instincts were alive and well. But the restlessness that I've always felt was now gone. Maybe what I'd been searching for wasn't really a_ what_ ... but a _who._ There was such an easiness to our relationship now that there wasn't anything standing between us anymore. I'm not the kind of guy to waste time analyzing my feelings, but if I had to choose a word for what I was feeling now, it would have to be ... happy. Followed by content. She did that. Something that no one, and nothing, had ever been able to do before. And now I was going to spend the rest of my life thanking her for it.

When Morelli drove further down the street, I lowered my head and kissed her. I may not care about Morelli, but I wasn't going to use Stephanie to rub Morelli's nose in what he'd lost. I knew he wasn't going to just step quietly aside until he knew for sure that Stephanie wasn't just another toy to me. I also knew that a confrontation was inevitable due to Morelli's temper. But it wouldn't be today. I lifted my head reluctantly and saw that her lips were slightly swollen from the kiss. Stephanie had never looked more beautiful to me than she did at that moment.

"Umm ... what was that for?" She asked.

"Just felt like it, Babe."

"Well," she said,"feel like it again."

If being in the service taught me one thing it was to never disobey an order. This time when the kiss ended, Stephanie had tucked her fingers into the front pockets of my cargo pants, keeping me from moving too far away. That wasn't something she had to worry about.

"So, Batman, what are your plans for the day aside from making out with me in front of Connie and Lula?"

She stood up on tiptoes and looked over my shoulder at what I assumed was the bonds office window where we knew they'd been watching us. They'd get used to it. I didn't intend to hide my feelings for Stephanie any longer, so they'd be getting an eyeful often. She waved to them before focusing on me again.

"I have three commercial accounts to check out. And one skip to pick up on Stark this afternoon," I told her."After that, I'm free."

"No countries to save today?" She asked.

Stephanie was the only person who ever felt comfortable teasing me. I didn't know how enjoyable it could actually be. Especially when I got the chance to see her smile at me like that.

"Not today," I told her."That's on the calendar for next Thursday."

"Hah-hah," she said."Connie gave me two FTA's that have to be caught today, so I'm glad that you won't be just sitting around Rangeman pining away for me while I'm working."

"Pining away, Babe?"

"What?" She said."It could happen."

"Sure it could," I said. More like it did. While I wouldn't exactly say I had been pining away for her, I definitely hadn't been satisfied with my life until now."Do you want to meet up at Rangeman or your apartment?"

"Rangeman," she said."You have better water pressure and better sheets."

"Are those the only reasons you want to be there?"

"If you were going to stay with me at my apartment ... then yeah," she said to me."I love the guys and all, but you're the real draw of the place."

"The guys will be happy to hear that."

"Why?" She asked.

"Because it wouldn't be good for them if you looked forward to seeing them more than me," I told her.

"Well then they have nothing to worry about," she said,"because you're the only one I want to see first thing in the morning and the last one at night." She smiled."And a few times in between when you're feeling_ friendly_."

"If I remember correctly, Babe," I said,"you attackedme more than once."

"Didn't happen."

"Just because you say it, doesn't make it true," I told her.

"Okay, but it's not like I can help it," she said."Have you seen yourself in the mirror?"

"Are you saying that you love me for my body and not my mind?" I asked her.

"No," she said, brushing her lips against mine."I love every part of you."

"Same here, Babe."

Her smile got wider at hearing that."I suppose we should both get to work now," she said, trying to take a step away from me.

To my surprise, I wasn't ready to let go of her yet. But knowing that she'd be spending another night at Rangeman with me made leaving easier.

I slid my hands to her hips and bent my head, intending to kiss her again, but a voice stopped me.

"Stephanie Plum? Is that you? What are you doing carrying on like that on a public street where God and everyone can see?"

Stephanie looked over my shoulder again."Hi, Mrs. Gilstein. "

"Your mother is going to be hearing about this," Mrs. Gilstein said.

"Go ahead and tell her," Stephanie said, not pulling away from me."I'm not doing anything wrong by kissing my boyfriend goodbye." She looked back at me for a moment."Is _boyfriend_ okay?"

I raised an eyebrow at her."Babe."

"Your boyfriend?" She asked."What about Joseph Morelli?"

"What about him?"

"Obviously, this isn't Joseph."

Stephanie gave me a look that made my heart stop and every other part come to life.

"No," she said to the woman."He definitely isn't Joseph. And I couldn't be happier about that."

The woman made a huffing sound before stomping away.

"Stephanie - 1," I said to her."The Burg - 0."

"I know this is only the beginning," she said,"but I think I can take them."

"That's the spirit, Babe."

"Do you think that if I hang around you enough I'll get to the point where I can scare everyone silent with just a look?"

"Anything's possible," I told her.

"On that note," she said,"I'm off to go prove that I can kick some ass or, at the very least, tackle one."

"Who are the lucky skips today?"

"I've got Evan Darrel and Gloria Kantner. Domestic abuse and a DUI."

"You're going to be careful right?" I asked.

"Yup."

"And if you need help you'll call me or the control room?"

"Uh-huh."

"Babe," I said to her."Your eyes just glazed over and not for the usual reason I get them to."

"Sorry," she said."But you know I'll call if I need you. I always do."

I lifted my eyebrow again.

"Okay," she said,"most of the time I call."

"Just reminding you of your options."

"And I appreciate it, Ranger," she said,"but you don't have to. I told you that you couldn't get rid of me now. So I'm not about to give you a way out by getting myself killed."

My stomach tightened at her words."Not exactly what I wanted to hear, Steph."

"I'll see you later," she said. And I'll let you check me out personally, from head to toe, for any sign of injury when I do."

"I'll take you up that," I said."I've been told that I'm very thorough."

"I bet."

I kissed her one last time, took a step back, and watched her climb into her Jeep. I got her to agree to take another car from me, but she'd insisted on a more practical one than what I'd originally picked out for her. I think it was to remind me that she has equal say in our relationship. She wasn't going to be just an accessory to the man she was with. Not that I'd ever think that. But I knew some people would say it.

I waited until she drove off before calling the control room.

Hal picked up."Hal here."

"Is the monitor on Stephanie's Jeep working?"

"Yes, sir."

"Let me know if anything unusual happens."

"You got it."

That out of the way, I nodded to Connie and Lula, angled behind the wheel of my truck and rolled down Hamilton. I knew Stephanie could handle anything her skips threw at her, literally, but I wasn't going to leave her safety to chance. It's ironic that I own a security company and I still had a hard time getting the person I couldn't live without to let me protect her in the way that I wanted. But I knew she wouldn't be the woman that I love if she was the type to do whatever I told her to. She's always had her own mind and her own opinions. And I wouldn't want to change that about her even if I could. Brainless vessels with big boobs, and even bigger mouths, never appealed to me. And while Stephanie didn't exactly hold back when she had something to say, hence the fight with Morelli, she didn't do it just to hear the sound of her own voice. If she did something that I didn't agree with, she always had a good reason for it, or a strong instinct about it, that was impossible to ignore. So I never did. And if she wouldn't ask for my help right away, I'd just bide my time until she called. That was one of the things that I liked most about Stephanie after meeting her, she wanted to do things on her own, but wasn't afraid to admit when she needed help. And I was always happy when I was the one she called for it.

I picked Tank up at Rangeman and drove to our first account '_Old War Weaponry'_, a rare weapons shop, to do a walk through. We made numerous notes on what the owner wanted specifically before heading out to the other two addresses to do the same. Lunch came and went without hearing from Stephanie. That wasn't unexpected but I wanted to hear her voice just the same.

"Hey, Babe," I said when she picked up.

"Hi, yourself."

"Where are you now?"

She laughed."Like you don't already know?"

"I only asked that the control room let me know if something happened," I told her."I haven't checked in with Hal."

"Everything's good," she said."I got the DUI, Gloria Kantner. And I'm at the bonds office with Connie now picking up my check before going after Darrel."

"I'll be down on Stark if you need me."

"I guess I don't have to tell _you_ to be careful," she said to me.

"Careful is my middle name, Babe."

"Yeah, right."

"What time do you think you'll be done?"

"I knew it!" She said."You miss me already, don't you?"

"Absolutely."

"This time I'm not going to ask if you're kidding," she said,"since I prefer to think that you weren't. Depending on how cooperative my skip is, I shouldn't be longer than an hour or two."

"See you then," I said.

"Love you, Batman," she said to me before hanging up.

I didn't realize that I was smiling until I noticed Tank staring at me.

"I didn't take you with me so you could watch what_ I _was doing," I told him,"so knock it off before I make you."

I guess Tank could tell that my heart wasn't really in it, because he felt safe enough to talk."I take it things are good?"

"Good is an understatement," I said.

"Now I bet you wished you'd stepped up a long time ago and saved yourselves a lot of pain."

"That's not something I needed you to remind me about, Tank."

"Just sayin'."

"Well now that you have," I told him,"you can shut up about it."

"Understood," Tank said.

He may be my best friend, but he still knew that there was a limit to what I'd put up with. Even from him.

"We going after Turcotte?" Tank asked.

"Yes," I said."And we're going to make it quick."

"Stephanie on her way home?" Tank asked.

I cut my eyes to him and that made him finally shut up.

We had a tip from a reliable source that Turcotte would be at a strip club on Stark Street. I pulled up to the building and parked close to the door.

"This is going to be a grab and go," I said to Tank."I don't want to waste any time here." It's strange how knowing that there was someone waiting for you at the end of the day, altered how the hours in that day were spent.

"No problem."

Tank and I got out of my truck and headed into the club. Minutes after our eyes adjusted to the dim lights, we had Turcotte subdued, cuffed, and secured in the backseat, even before the alcohol fumes and stale smoke smell dissipated.

"I think we set a new speed record for capturing this one," Tank said, on our way to the station.

I didn't care how the apprehension went, I just wanted to get it done.

We unloaded Turcotte from the backseat and escorted him into the Trenton PD. We were waiting to get him processed when Carl Costanza came over to me.

"You missed Steph," Carl said."She was here a couple of hours ago. She said that she'd be back, but I haven't seen her. I thought she'd be with you."

"No," I told Carl."She was on her own today."

My cell rang and I stepped away to answer it. It was Hal. My whole body tensed at the sound of his voice. He wouldn't be calling me if something wasn't wrong.

"The tracker we have on Stephanie's Jeep has stopped sending signals," Hal said."I've sent Ramon and Vince to the last location we have for her to see what happened"

"Call me immediately when you know something," I said, before asking for the last location they had.

"Tank," I said, after getting off the phone with Hal."Let's go." The tone of my voice must have given something away, because Tank was in front of me less than a second later.

"What's going on?" He asked.

"Stephanie isn't being tracked by Rangeman anymore," I told him."Something's wrong with either the monitor or her Jeep. Whatever it is, I want to know where she is. Now."

"We'll find her, Ranger," Tank said."We always do."

"I'll make sure you get your receipt for this guy," Carl said."Just make sure she's okay."

I would have thanked him if I wasn't already halfway to the door at the time.

I was just pulling out of the lot when I saw Eddie Gazarra's squad car pull in with Stephanie in the passenger seat. I loosened the grip I had on the steering wheel, and let out the breath I was holding, when I saw her. Not exactly how the military trained me to handle a crisis, but logic goes by the wayside anytime Stephanie was involved.

"Looks like she's okay," Tank said.

I couldn't say that for sure since I could only see her head and shoulders. But it was a start.

I turned the truck around and parked next to Eddie. Stephanie got out and I met her halfway.

"I got my skip," she said.

She looked less than pristine, wearing something that looked suspiciously like soot.

"What happened?" I asked her."Hal said your signal cut out."

"My car, or should I say _your _car, went boom," she said.

"Same guy as last time?"

"Nope," she said."New idiot."

"Your skip?"

Yes," she said looking to where Gazarra was helping a heavy-set, bald guy out of the squad car and into the station."He took a couple of shots at me after I told him why I was there. He missed me, but tagged the Jeep. Eddie happened to be patrolling the area and showed up minutes later."

"Why didn't you call me?"

"It was close by so Eddie offered to bring the both of us here since I already had the guy knocked down and cuffed by then. And I figured that I'd probably run into you here anyway. They have to start using something other than gasoline to power cars. It's way too flammable."

"Babe, a few hours ago you were talking about dying and now after losing another car you're making jokes about fuel?"

"Uh-huh," she said, wrapping her arms around my waist."I'm okay. And the good news is that now I can catch a ride home with you."

"You're lucky I like you, Babe," I said to her.

She smiled up at me."I think you more than like me," she said.

"True."

Carl had come out of the building at the same time my cell rang again. Both with the same news. Stephanie's Jeep was destroyed, but she was okay and on her way here.

"She's with me now, Hal," I told him."Thanks."

"So," Steph said, tightening her arms around me,"are you ready to take me home?"

"Babe, I'm always ready," I said to her.

"No kidding," she said, making me relax for the first time since I left her this morning.

"Tank, you can ride in the back," I told him.

"Yes, Sir," he said, smiling at Stephanie. Looks like I wasn't the only one worried about her.

Carl handed me both of our body receipts."This wasn't as exciting as the last one," he said to Steph,"but I'm glad that you're all right."

"Thanks Carl," she said."Me, too."

I opened the passenger door for her, while Tank squeezed into the backseat.

"Sorry, Tank," she said."I can change places with you if you want."

"Not happening, Babe."

"Not point trying to change his mind," Tank said to her."I'm fine back here. It beats having him glaring at me all the way back to Rangeman."

"You talk too much," I told Tank.

Steph glanced over at me."Tank? Talk too much?"

"You have no idea," I told her.

I drove the ten minutes to Rangeman and parked in the underground garage. We said goodbye to Tank and headed up to seven.

"You want me to call Ella for supper?" I asked her when we were standing in the kitchen.

"No," she said."There are still sandwiches in the fridge. And I'm not really hungry right now." She sat down at the bar, and looked over at me."I talked to Connie when I picked up my check this afternoon, and she said that she saw Joe driving down the street this morning."

"And?"

"And nothing," she said."I'm just surprised that he didn't say anything. I would have thought he'd confront us or something?"

I was betting he wouldn't wait too long before he confronted someone. And I didn't think it would be Stephanie."Are you concerned about that?" I asked her.

"Not really," she said."I'm prepared for anything that he could say to me, but I want to just put all of the bad stuff behind us. For me, and for Joe. I'm not saying that we have to be best buddies or anything, but I don't want to have to rehash everything we've done to each other every time we meet."

"I have a feeling you won't have to worry about that, Babe."

She cut her eyes to me."What are you planning on doing?"

"I'm not planning anything," I said to her."Morelli isn't going to say anything to anyone until he gets a handle on what he's feeling. And if he saw us this morning, it's going to take him a while to do that."

"Maybe you're right."

"Of course I'm right, Babe."

"Anyway, enough about him," she said to me."You've already heard about my day. How was yours? Did you get your FTA?"

"Yes," I said."Was there a doubt?"

"Nope," she said to me."I'm just trying to make conversation."

"I can think of something else we can make that isn't conversation."

"I was thinking along those lines, too, but I didn't want you to think that I really do only love you for your body."

I stood and pulled her against me."Today, Babe," I told her,"I'd let it slide even if you did."

"Don't worry. I'm sure I can find a way to stimulate both your body and your mind," she said, as we headed towards the bedroom.

I was right about Morelli. He finally got the balls to talk to me a week later when I was dropping Davis Stanley off at the station. I heard a lull in the noise of the station around me. I didn't need to turn around to know that Morelli was there. I'd been expecting this. And I was actually looking forward to it. The docket lieutenant nervously handed my receipt over to me and took a step back. Smart man, I thought.

"Manoso."

"Morelli."

"Can I have a word with you outside?"

This was going to be good. I had no worries that Stephanie would be tempted to go back to Morelli, but I wanted to make sure he respected her when they did have to see each other. I knew she'd handle Joe on her own, she was more than capable of it, but I wanted to be sure that he paid attention to what she said about them being over. I wasn't about to stand back and let him insult her for not choosing him in the end.

I motioned him towards the exit, and he walked ahead of me out of the station. After I stepped outside, I made sure the door was closed securely behind me. I couldn't stop the ears that would be pressed up against it trying to hear what was being said, but I could make it a little bit harder for them to hear. If it'd been me, I would have chosen a less public place to have this discussion, but if Morelli had something to say I wasn't going to stop him.

Morelli stopped about five feet from me and put his hands on his hips."How is she?" He asked.

I knew he cared about her so I wasn't going to give him a hard time about wanting to know that she was okay.

"Stephanie's good," I told him.

I saw him relax slightly. I've heard that he'd been burying himself in work. And from what I could see, it was true. He looked like shit. Bags under his eyes, a three-day beard going, and he had a distracted look in his eyes. He wasn't taking the breakup well. I couldn't really feel bad about it, either. As far as I was concerned, he could long for Stephanie Plum for the rest of his life and it wouldn't do him any good. I wasn't letting her go.

"If she wasn't good," Morelli said,"you'd have me to deal with."

"I hear what you're saying Morelli," I said to him."I can even understand it. But I wasn't the one who hurt her."

His eyes narrowed and I saw his temper kick in."I've only wanted what was best for Stephanie."

"Best for Stephanie?" I asked him."Or best for yourself? Because from what I could see, you never gave her a chance to say what she felt was best for her."

"You don't know anything about our relationship," Morelli said.

"You don't have a relationship anymore," I reminded him.

"And whose fault is that?"

"Believe what you want, Morelli," I said,"but we both know that Stephanie wouldn't have been confused about who she wanted if she'd been happy with who she was with." And just to give him something else to think about I asked."Have _you_ heard from her?"

"You know damn well I haven't heard from her," he yelled."You probably have her locked in that fucking apartment of yours."

"No," I told him."You're the one that wants her stuck inside of a house all day."

"She would have been happy with me if you would have just left her the fuck alone."

"Really?" I asked. I couldn't believe that he was still that clueless when it came to her."This is Stephanie we're talking about. The woman with no experience and no training who decided to buy a gun for the first time and spend her days chasing down rapists and murderers for a living. And you honestly think she would have been happy trapped in your house 24 hours a day just waiting for you to come home to ask how _your_ day was?"

"That's what's expected," he said."It's what we both grew up with."

"And how fast did Stephanie distance herself from the Burg? She tried the Susie Homemaker thing with Orr, and she realized that she never wanted to live a life like that again."

"You can't speak for her," Morelli said."You've only known her for a few years. I've known her since we were kids."

"Then how come you still know next to nothing about her?"

"I know her better than anyone else."

"You only see what you want to see of her. But I see a woman who rises to a challenge. That looks forward to doing something new everyday. That can't stand routines of any kind." I knew that firsthand because she still thinks I'm insane for setting my clock for five o'clock every morning. But that could be more about the time of day than the actual routine."But the fact that you can't see, and appreciate, who she is isn't my problem, Morelli."

"It'll be your problem if you do anything to hurt her."

"Now you're worried about her being hurt?" I asked."You should have thought about that before running your mouth that night instead of making sure that she was okay."

"I was upset."

"And you think Stephanie wasn't?"

"Look," Morelli said,"I know I was wrong. And I was going to apologize to her, but I didn't think you'd take advantage of her before I had the chance."

"You don't give her enough credit, Morelli," I told him."Like I said before, Stephanie wouldn't be with me if she didn't want to be."

"She loves me," Morelli said.

"Yeah, she does," I said to him."But not enough. And especially not enough to listen to you putting her down all the time."

"I wouldn't have to say anything about her job if you would've stopped encouraging her."

"Isn't that what you're supposed to do for the person you love?" I asked him."Encourage them?"

He paused and I could see him finally thinking about what I was saying.

"I just wanted to take care of her," he said.

"That's just it," I told him,"she doesn't want someone to take care of her. She can take care of herself. She just needed you to love her. Lucky for me, you never figured that out."

His shoulders slumped."I screwed up," he said.

"Many times."

"You have no problems kicking a man when he's down do you, Manoso?"

"No."

"You couldn't possibly say anything that would make me feel worse than I already do."

I wasn't about to coddle him. He screwed up ... big time. But it looks like he'd finally realized it, too."Look, Morelli, I'm not saying any of this to gloat, or to hurt you, because I don't really care how you're feeling. I only care about Stephanie not stressing out about running into you. I've never liked the way you treated her, but I didn't feel it was my place to say anything about it since I couldn't offer her anything better at the time. But that's changed now. And I can assure you that you'll regret it if you do anything to upset her again."

"I don't plan on upsetting her ever again, so that threat was unnecessary. But you'd better make her happy."

"That's not something anybody has to worry about," I told him."Making sure Stephanie is happy has become one of my goals in life. So if you're waiting for her to be available again, I might as well tell you that it's a waste of time."

"Do you always have to be such a prick?" He asked.

"What can I say, Morelli, you bring it out in me."

"Does that mean since we've discussed this, we don't have to speak to each other again?"

"Works for me," I told him.

"You going to tell her about this?"

"If she asks," I told him."I'm not going to keep secrets from her."

"If she does ask, tell her that I'm sorry for how I acted."

"Which time?"

"I'm not going to defend myself to you," Morelli said."If Stephanie wants to hear me out, then I'll be more than happy to list every frickin' thing I've done wrong. But I won't be doing that with you. I just want her to know that I would have done things differently. That's all. And if I'd have known that what I said to her that night would lead to the two of you getting together, I would have kept my fucking mouth shut."

He would have done better to keep his mouth shut during most of their relationship, I thought, but I didn't feel like I had to say that one out loud.

"Stephanie and I getting together was inevitable," I said to him instead."And I think you knew it."

"Bye, Manoso," he said, walking away.

I watched him disappear into the building with a smile on my face. Stephanie would probably hear about this from someone at the station, but I wasn't about to relay Morelli's apology to her. When she was ready to hear it, she could talk to Morelli about it herself. I played devil's advocate for him in the past, trying to keep some distance between Steph and I, and I'll be damned if I did it again. If she wanted to talk to him, I knew that she would. And I wouldn't say anything about it. But, right now, I wasn't going to bring up something that would make her feel worse just to make Morelli feel better.

I slid behind the wheel of the Cayenne and headed back home to her. We'd both been busy today and I looked forward to making up for lost time when I got back to my apartment. I had always thought that I needed solitude to regroup after a long day. Turns out, I just needed her.


	6. Chapter 6

**I had trouble posting this chapter the first time, so I'm trying it again. Thanks for everyone's patience. I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to get this chapter out this week because I had family visiting, but I did manage to get it finished. Thanks again to everyone who left reviews of chapter 5. Any familiar characters, or phrases, belong to Janet Evanovich. The mistakes are mine. Warnings for language.**

**Stephanie's POV**

The day had been long, but good. I captured three skips for Vinnie, paid my rent, and hadn't got a call from my mother. I had also stopped off at my apartment and picked up Rex before settling into Ranger's den. I had changed into a pair of shorts and one of Ranger's T-shirts, and was sprawled out on his couch with my head resting on the arm of it when I heard him come in. The keys hit the tray seconds before he walked into the room. I tilted my head back and looked up at him. He held my eyes for a long moment before placing his hands on either side of my head and giving me an upside-down kiss that I didn't think could exist outside of a Spiderman movie. When he ended the kiss, I would have dragged him down onto the couch with me if I hadn't sensed that something had gone on today.

I sat up and turned to him."What happened?"

"What makes you think something happened?" He asked.

"You know how I get a tingling feeling on the back of my neck when you're close to me?"

Ranger sat down beside me, wrapped an arm around my shoulders, and pulled me close to him."That's not all you get," he said, picking up my glass and taking a sip of the wine I had poured myself earlier.

"True," I said. Ranger did make me feel incredibly warm. And I sometimes got damp, too. I turned a little more in his arms, resting my head on his chest, and stretched out my legs across his lap. I was glad that I used the time Ranger spent on the phone last night to do my nails. And while my manicure was just about shot, my toes still looked cute. And my legs looked especially good against the black of Ranger's cargo pants. Ranger didn't pay any attention to my pedicure, though. He was busy stroking my bare leg from my ankle to the inside of my thigh.

"Sometimes, Babe?" Ranger asked, putting the glass back down. His ESP kicking in again.

"Huh?" I said. Then it occurred to me that we were in the middle of something not sex related. At least, we were."Stop trying to distract me," I said to him."When something is going on with you, my neck feels less tingly and more like it got touched with a bug zapper. And right now if I was a bug, I'd be fried. So what's up?"

He gave me a look like he was still surprised with what came out of my mouth. I didn't know how he could still be at this point.

"I ran into Morelli at the station," he said.

"Crap."

"It wasn't as bad as you're thinking. We just got a few things straight between us."

"Without me there?"

"It was about you, but didn't really concern you, Babe," he said.

"How could it not concern me?" I asked."You guys managed to work well together until I came along."

"Do you have anything left to say to Morelli?" Ranger asked.

"No." I thought it'd be another week before I was ready to speak to him in a voice that would be below a shout.

"That's what I thought," he said."You broke things off with him that night, but he still didn't seem like he understood that it was over between you. And I wanted to make sure he knew that it was, in fact, over. And that he wasn't going to make things worse if you ran into him somewhere."

"And?"

"I also listed the ways he screwed up. And made him realize that I wasn't stupid enough to do the same."

"I bet that went over big," I said."Morelli doesn't like to be told he was wrong." I was getting closer to forgiving him for the way he acted, but there was still a small part of me that wanted him to take some responsibility in where our relationship went wrong. Up until the very end, he'd always blamed me, my friendship with Ranger, or my job. I honestly didn't know who he'd blame if he screwed up his next relationship.

"I think he found our conversation informative," Ranger said."I also told him he should move on and not hang around the sidelines waiting for you to be single again, because I wasn't about to let you get away from me."

I laughed."It's not like I could," I told him."You have trackers on everything of mine."

"Would you leave if I didn't?" Ranger asked. Serious.

"No way," I said, not hesitating at all.

"That's what he needed to hear."

"Is he okay?" I asked. Joe may have acted like a jerk, but I did still care about him.

"He's not in the hospital if that's what you're asking."

That wasn't really all that helpful of an answer, I thought.

"The two of you discussing me, and our relationships, and no one got hurt?" I asked. I wanted to believe it, but I was doubtful that it could actually happen. I wasn't so full of myself to think that two men would fight to the death over me. But Morelli does have a temper, and Ranger had patience only up to a point and skills that could wipe out a small nation. So I think being a little concerned about their testosterone clash was justifiable. Heck, even I was tempted to take a swing at Morelli the night of the car fire, but I knew I'd regret doing it as soon as my anger faded. And having Ranger with me went a long way to diffusing what little of it I had left. I was now thinking that it might be possible for the three of us to move on from the weird triangle I had created.

"I don't have to solve everything with my hands," Ranger said, breaking into my thoughts.

Now that I knew Morelli wasn't lying in pain somewhere, I could focus back on Ranger and I. And hearing him mention his hands put all kinds of images in my head about what he has done with them, and what he could be doing with them right now if we were done talking.

"That's a shame," I said to Ranger,"because I was missing you today and I thought that you could solve the problem I've developed because of it. But if you don't use your hands, it may not get fixed." I wasn't ever going to come close to Ranger in the seducing department, but it was fun trying.

"I _am_ excellent with my hands," Ranger said, leaning over me until I was lying on the couch again,"but I have other things that I'm excellent with that I guarantee will fix whatever _problem_ you happen to have."

"No doubt," I said."Let me just say one last thing about Joe before we find out, okay?" At Ranger's nod I continued."I don't want you or Joe fighting because of me. Both Joe and I messed up. And I am sorry for that. But I'm happy where I am now, and I don't want the two of you hurting each other over it."

"We both know what we're doing," Ranger said.

"I know," I said."You're grown men and all, but still ..."

"Stop worrying, Babe," Ranger said, pressing a kiss to my lips."It would take a lot to make me break Morelli's face."

"Umm ... that's good to hear, I think."

Ranger kissed me again."Now if that's settled, it's time to stop thinking."

I wasn't going to argue with that. I really did miss being around him today. I think I got spoiled from the time we spent together without any interruptions. Luckily, Ranger seemed to have missed me, too. By the time we'd gotten reacquainted with each other on the couch, I was getting sleepy and Ranger was getting ready for round two, so I suggested we head to the bedroom where I wouldn't have to worry about moving afterwards. Ranger didn't seem to mind the change in location as he scooped me up, still naked, and carried my now boneless body into the bedroom.

The next morning Ranger and I were sitting across from each other at his dining room table. Breakfast was done, and Ranger was sipping coffee while I read through the file Connie gave me yesterday.

"Ass," I said, more to myself, when I read what my FTA had been arrested for.

"Who?" Ranger asked.

"The guy I have to pick up today," I told him."His name's Beau Risco. With a name like that, doesn't it sound like he should be starring in an old western, or something? Anyway, he was arrested for assault. And his sister was the victim."

"Nice guy," Ranger said.

"They seem to have had a differing opinion on what should be done with their mother's estate," I told him."She thinks all the stuff should be sold, and the money from it split up evenly between them. And he thought that he should get _everything. _Their last encounter was apparently nasty."

I guess Beau Risco could be called attractive, in that boy-next-door kind of way. Light brown hair that was, in my opinion, a little too long, slim build, nice features. But if you looked closely at his pale blue eyes, there was something in them that made me question his mental stability.

"Just looking at his picture gives me the creeps," I said to Ranger."If you have nothing pressing to do today, I wouldn't mind you riding along with me when I go after him."

Ranger smiled."I wouldn't miss the chance to see you in action."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Okay," I said."We can go whenever you're ready then."

Ranger finished his coffee and went to get his gun du jour out of the safe in the bedroom. He grabbed his keys out of the tray on the sideboard while I hiked my bag onto my shoulder and then we were ready to head out. We stopped at the fifth floor so Ranger could let Tank know he wouldn't be in the office until later. While Ranger was talking to Tank, I went into the control room and spent some time with the guys. I never had the big brother experience, since it was just Valerie and I growing up, but I was making up for it now by having a building full of them. It was nice that in addition to finally having Ranger fully in my life, I got the whole Rangeman family that came along with him.

Vince was showing me what they did if an alarm went off on one of the accounts when Ranger walked in. Usually, there would be a hush that fell over the control room when Ranger entered it, but while it was still clear that Ranger was the boss and could easily shoot them if they did something wrong, the guys now acted a little more like themselves whenever Ranger was around. I attributed the change to Ranger being more relaxed himself lately.

"Are you interested in monitor duty, too, Babe?" Ranger asked me.

Shmoozing Rangeman clients I could handle. And maybe even enjoy. But monitor duty? Not a chance.

"Not even a little," I told Ranger.

"Are you ready to go?"

"Yes."

I said goodbye to Hal and Vince and stepped in the elevator with Ranger. He hit the garage button and then wrapped an arm around my waist. A happy sigh escape at the contact, and I leaned a little more into him. When the doors opened, Ranger led me to the Cayenne. We buckled ourselves in and Ranger drove out of the garage and headed down Haywood. He turned right and took a couple side streets to get to Risco's house. It was the last house on a dead end road. And while I wouldn't exactly say that his one-story house was run down, it had definitely seen better days. The white stain on the house had long ago turned a dull gray color. And the weeds were trying to reclaim what little they could of the postage-stamp-size lawn.

Ranger parked at the curb one house before Beau's and turned to me.

"Do you want me to go to the door with you?" Ranger asked.

I didn't mind asking him for help if I needed it, but this was my skip to bring in. And I still wanted to try to get him on my own first.

"I'll see if I can grab him," I told Ranger."If I run into a problem, I'll send out the bat signal."

Ranger smiled."Or you could buzz me on my cell."

"That's what I would've tried next if the signal thing failed," I assured him.

I gave him a quick kiss before climbing out of the passenger's seat. I dodged the weeds, and something that looked a lot like poison ivy growing out of the cracked sidewalk, as I walked up to the front door and knocked. The sister was the one who answered the door. I was momentarily confused thinking that I somehow had the wrong address when I saw my skip standing directly behind her.

"My name is Stephanie Plum," I said to the both of them."I work for Vincent Plum," I said, speaking to Beau now."You've violated your bond agreement and I have to take you in with me to get rebonded."

The sister, Cindy, was about to say something, but he stopped her."Come on in," Risco said to me."I'll just grab my stuff and we can go right now."

Something felt a little off, and not only because I've never had someone this willing to come with me before.

"Umm ..." I said."I think I'll just wait for you here." I could see movement out of the corner of my eye and I knew Ranger hadn't been willing to wait in the car for me. I didn't really think he would, but I thought Ranger would wait until I at least made it inside, or my skip proved himself to be dangerous, before he moved from his car to the house. Fortunately, the people in front of me didn't see him and didn't know that I wasn't alone. So if something were to happen, I'd have the advantage. That's what I thought, anyway. I was wrong. Again.

"I don't think so," Beau said. And that's when I saw the gun he must have had pointed at his sister's back when she opened the door to me. He covered Cindy's mouth with his hand and then moved the gun from her back to my forehead."Get the fuck in here. Now."

I ran through my choices. I knew Ranger was close by, but the possibility of getting shot if I moved so much as an inch was high. And although there was always a chance I wouldn't die from one, a bullet hole would probably leave a scar. A scar I didn't want. What I _did_ want was to do what I could to prevent injuries to everyone here. So I walked into the house and closed the door behind me. I felt confident that I'd be able to control the situation until Ranger made his move.

"Let her go," I said to Beau."She's your sister for crying out loud. I have a sister, too. And even though she's annoyingly perfect, I wouldn't even joke about shooting her. At least, not again." I was trying to distract him with my rambling so he wouldn't notice that I had brought reinforcements with me, but it didn't look like it was working judging by Beau's face."You've already missed your court date," I continued."You don't want to add murder charges on top of everything else you've got working against you. And Vinnie won't bond you out again if you're wanted for murder."

That was kind of a fib, because Vinnie would get the Devil himself out of jail as long as he thought he wouldn't lose any money in the process. But seeing how Risco had already ignored his court hearing, I was sure that Vinnie wouldn't bond him out again if he killed me. At least, I was fifty percent sure Vinnie wouldn't.

Once I was standing in the middle of the living room, a few feet away from them, Beau had the gun on Cindy again. I could see just how serious he was about shooting her from the way the muzzle of the gun was pressed into her temple. Hard enough to leave a dent in her skin. My hope was that the only thing she'd leave here with was a bruise.

"You move from that spot," Beau said to me,"and she'll be missing half her head."

Why does this always happen to me? I came here to make a simple arrest and now I'm in the middle of another hostage situation. I felt like I should do something to help her, but I couldn't live with knowing that if I screwed up I would be the cause of Cindy's death. I wasn't Ranger. I couldn't handle the pressure of someone's life being in my hands.

Luckily, Ranger didn't need a message from me telling him something went wrong. He was always prepared for the worst case scenario. Especially when I was thrown into the mix. And I would say that this definitely qualified as a worst case scenario.

Risco backed away from me, and reached behind him for the handle of the door to let himself out. If he was facing forward things might have gone differently, but he never saw Ranger standing there in the doorway, blocking his exit. Risco froze when he backed into Ranger. But before he could react, Ranger had his arm around Beau's neck, obviously adding enough pressure to make it hard for Beau to breathe.

"I could crush your windpipe in less than a second," Ranger said in voice that almost made me wet myself."That's faster than you could pull a trigger. So I suggest you drop the gun if you want to live to see tomorrow."

One look at Risco and I could see that his bladder wasn't as controlled as mine. A wet stain was starting to spread across the front of his pants. He was prepared to kill one person, maybe two after I showed up, but having someone bigger and stronger than he was threatening him made him pee himself. The classic bully type, I thought. He could dish it out, but he couldn't take it.

I couldn't tell if he let go of the gun first, or his bladder, since they appeared to have happened at the same time. The gun landed with a muffled thump on the carpet just as I made a grab for Cindy. I dragged her across the room away from Beau just in case he decided to make another attempt at hurting her.

Of course, I didn't have to worry about that. Ranger had Risco facedown with his knee in Beau's back before I could even think of offering to help. Cindy had calmed down by then, and I could see that instead of being scared, she was starting to get angry as she watched Ranger cuff Beau and drag him outside to the Cayenne.

"He's always been a fucking hot head," Cindy said to me.

"_Hot head_?" I said."He just tried to kill you and you call him a _hot head_?" There were many other names I could come up with for her brother at that point, and I only had the gun pointed at me for a few seconds. I was starting to think their whole family was nuts.

"I blame my mother for the way he turned out," she said."She always let him have anything he wanted, and let him get away with everything, growing up. He's never had to deal with any consequences of his actions."

"Well, he will now," I told her."Jail is a good place to learn all about them. You are pressing charges against him, aren't you?"

"Hell, yeah, I'm pressing charges," she said."I'm tired of always dealing with him and all the shit he brings with him. If having a gun pointed at me gets him arrested again, and away from me for a while, then I'd go through this all over again."

Jeez. And I thought my family was screwed up. This one took dysfunction to a whole new level.

"Do you want me to call someone for you?" I asked her.

"No," she said to me."Really, I'm fine. I have my car. I'll probably be at the police station before you. I want to see Beau with my own eyes locked behind bars."

"Okay, then." I said."I'll just be going now."

Ranger was waiting for me by the Cayenne."She all right?" He asked, when I reached him.

"Yep," I said."She's going to follow us in. Looks like there's no love lost between these two."

"He doesn't seem like a real likable guy."

"Definitely not someone I'd want to hang out with," I said."It's nice to see that your protective instincts stray to more than just me," I said to him, thinking about how he got the gun away from Cindy's head. _Rambo_ Ranger was just as sexy as every other Ranger I've seen so far. Naked Ranger was still the sexiest, for obvious reasons, but the others were really close.

"Make no mistakes, Babe," Ranger said, locking eyes with me,"if that'd been you he was holding, I'd be making arrangements to dump the body right now, not standing here with him shackled, sitting on an emergency blanket in the backseat of my car."

I know it probably isn't good when someone says that they'd do anything to protect you, even if it meant killing someone to do it, and it made your stomach feel squishy in a sweet, romantic way. But I couldn't help it. Hearing Ranger say that, even though I'm pretty sure he'd already done it for me at least once before, made my feelings for him even stronger. Not caring at all if Cindy, Beau, or the whole freakin' world was watching, I curled my fingers into Ranger's hair, pulled his head down to mine, and kissed him. I was pretty sure the earth moved at least once before I finally let him go.

I smiled up at him."Come on, Batman, let's drop _this_ body off at the Trenton PD," I said to him, nodding towards Risco."And then we'll be free to continue this when we get back to your place."

"It's a date, Babe," Ranger said, kissing me lightly before rounding the hood of the Cayenne and angling behind the wheel.

As I was buckling my seat belt, I thought back on all the fairy tales I'd read as a little girl and compared them to what Ranger had said and I couldn't help but think ... Who needed pretty words and Prince Charming when you could have what was the equivalent of a declaration of love from your own personal superhero?


	7. Chapter 7

**I wanted to get this chapter out while I had a minute so I apologize in advance if there are more mistakes in it than usual. The bar that I used in this story is real, but everything aside from the name, and the location of it, has been made up by me. All familiar characters belong to Janet. Warnings for language.**

**Ranger's POV**

"Manoso! You son of a bitch!" Morelli yelled seconds before he threw a punch that would have knocked out a lesser man. Since I wasn't a lesser _anything_, I just calmly caught his fist in my hand, twisted his arm behind his back, and pushed him away from me.

I had been walking out of Pino's with Stephanie's promised lunch. She made a deal with me that if she worked out this morning, and finished everything on her desk before noon, then I would get her something edible for lunch. Fruit and low-fat sandwiches apparently didn't count as edible food to Stephanie. Since she does eat better now that she spends more time at Rangeman these days, I didn't mind motivating her with an occasional meatball sub from Pino's. Plus, I knew she'd show her appreciation for it tonight. But now I had Morelli to deal with before I was able to get back to her.

"What now, Morelli?"

"Don't give me that shit, you asshole!" Morelli shouted."You know exactly what I'm talking about."

"Why don't you save us some time here, and tell me what's got your panties in a twist this time."

"You claim that you love Stephanie, and yet you do the one thing in the world that would hurt her the most?" Morelli said."You might be able to talk your way out of everything else, but not even _you_, _'The Mighty Manoso,' _can get Stephanie to forgive you for cheating on her!"

The last part of his speech made the couple walking into Pino's stop and look over at us. I ignored them and raised an eyebrow at Morelli.

"Why exactly do you think I'm cheating on Stephanie?" I asked in a rational voice that I knew would piss him off. I thought he would have let go of the notion of getting Steph back, but he seemed to be just waiting around hoping that I messed up. I hadn't. And I was going to enjoy him seeing that.

"Several people saw you having dinner last night with a woman who definitely wasn't Stephanie. And it looked like the two of you knew each other _really_ well."

"And I bet you got a detailed description of what she looked like, too." It wasn't a question.

"Beautiful," Morelli said."Long black hair. Killer body."

"Watch what you say about my sister, Morelli." I told him, and held back a smile at his expression.

"You're sister?" Morelli asked.

"Yes," I said."Steph was supposed to come with us last night, but she got a lead on a skip and told us to go ahead without her."

"Steph's met your family?"

"Why are you so surprised? Contrary to popular belief, Morelli, I do have a family."

"But I know for a fact that Stephanie's never met them before," Morelli said."So it seems strange that she's meeting them after all this time."

"You've seen for yourself that things are different between Stephanie and I now," I told him."And my family had been anxious to meet her. I already know most of hers, so it only makes sense to introduce her to mine."

I knew what he was thinking. That things between Stephanie and I must be serious if I was willing to share that part of my personal life with her.

"Morelli," I said to him,"do yourself a favor and put Steph behind you."

"I can't."

"I agree that Stephanie is one of a kind, but no amount of wishful thinking on your part is going to get her back."

"You don't have to sound so fucking sure of yourself, Manoso."

"I always sound sure of myself," I told him."But in this case, there's no doubt in my mind that I'm right. And I know Steph would agree with me."

"Fuck you, Manoso."

"Be angry all you want, but it won't change things."

"You can't keep her away from me," Morelli said, his eyes narrowing.

"That's the difference between the two of us, Morelli," I said to him."I'm not trying to. If you haven't seen Steph, then it's been_ her _decision not to talk to you. I don't care if she sees you or talks to you. Nothing you do will effect what we have together. So, unlike you, I don't have to isolate her in order to keep our relationship intact."

"Despite what you think," Morelli said,"I've learned a lot from this. And if I have the chance to be with her again, things will be better between us. I just have to wait until you do something to scare her off."

"Like have dinner with my sister?" I asked, just to see if that vein in his head would explode.

"Joke all you want," Morelli said to me."You can't keep yourself out of trouble and it's bound to catch up with you. I just hope Stephanie isn't caught up in it when it does."

"Don't lose sleep over Stephanie's safety," I told him. If there was one thing Steph and I had talked about at length it was about the security measures to make sure she was always taken care of."The Governor isn't as well protected as she is."

"And that's what you want for her? To have a life like a goddamned mob wife?" Morelli said."Always wondering where the next bullet is going to come from?"

If I hadn't thought of Morelli as a drama queen before, I did now. I was done talking to him. If he wasn't going to get that Steph and I were going to be spending the rest of our lives together, then he could just sit back with everyone else and just watch us.

"Steph hasn't complained," I told him. The vein was bulging at this point, but it didn't rupture. I've told Steph in the past that Morelli was a good man and a good cop. And he is. But he's also becoming a huge pain in my ass."Do you have anything else to accuse me of while we're here? Global warming? World hunger? A parking ticket I haven't paid?"

"I still can't figure out what she sees in you," Morelli said.

"My quick wit?" I asked, not being able to stop myself. Tormenting Morelli could become a fun pastime for me. I think he might have been considering taking another swing at me, but thought better of it. He just gave me a disgusted look, turned on his heel, and walked away. I'm seeing Morelli more now that I've started seeing Stephanie than I had in all the years of knowing Morelli prior to Stephanie entering the picture.

I slid behind the wheel of my truck and made the drive to Rangeman, anticipating Steph's reaction to Morelli's accusation. She would probably find it more amusing than I did since she knew I didn't want anyone but her. The only downside was that she'd have to suffer through people thinking that I did cheat on her. I knew how much Dickie had hurt her when she found him with Joyce. And I knew that in the back of her mind there was always a little part of her that was afraid that whoever she was with would do the same. I'd like five minutes alone with Dickie just for that, but then Steph would just tell me he wasn't worth the time it would take to beat the shit out of him. The bottom line was that I didn't want her to _ever _have cause to doubt me or my feelings for her.

I pulled into the underground garage and parked. I got out, and the elevator doors opened. Steph stepped out with her phone in her hand.

"So I hear you've been stepping out on me," she said.

"That's what I just heard, too," I told her."Seems like we're the only two people that didn't know about it." I walked over to where she was standing and bent down to kiss her.

I would never get over having her here with me. I was starting to plan on how to make it permanent. We'd only being seeing each other for a couple of weeks, but I knew that I didn't want to go back to my old life when I'd been keeping her at arms length. And even though I knew Stephanie was happy with me, I didn't want to chance spooking her by mentioning what I wanted for the future. I had to wait until she was open to hearing it.

She smiled against my mouth."I guess I'll have to stay away when your brother is in town, so I don't start the rumors all over again."

"You won't be around my brother very much, Babe," I told her.

"Why not?" She asked."He seems nice."

"He makes Santos and Morelli look like choir boys."

Her eyes widened."Really?"

"Yes," I said."And I don't want to have to kill him if he decides to get too familiar. My mother would be pissed at me."

"No doubt," she said to me.

I hit the button for seven and wrapped my arm around Steph, propelling her into the elevator.

"Seven?" She asked."I thought I'd just have lunch at my desk."

That's the thing about Stephanie, she didn't expect different treatment just because we were sleeping together.

"You might need to heat this up," I told her, holding her sub up."I got detained."

"You went to PIno's for me?" She asked, as we stepped out of the elevator.

"You can't say that I wouldn't do anything for you, Babe."

"I wouldn't dream of it," she said."I'll be sure to reward you tonight for your time in the trenches."

I laughed. She definitely had a unique way with words. I opened the door for her and followed her into the kitchen.

"What do you mean you were detained?" She asked, unwrapping the sub and putting it in the microwave.

"Morelli heard about my dinner with Celia, and was hoping to be able to get back into your good graces by confronting me about it."

She stopped what she was doing and turned to look at me.

"You're not serious?"

"I am," I said to her."Even tried landing his fist in my face."

"Is he still alive?" She asked.

"Yes. I had to find out why he was calling me an asshole before I killed him."

The smile Stephanie gave me let me know that she knew I was joking.

"Let me guess," she said,"the Burg had to make sure that Joe knew that the guy his girlfriend dumped him for was now seeing someone on the side?"

"Yes," I told her.

She blew out a breath."Joe should know that you wouldn't do anything like that," she said."He may argue that your business dealings are a shade less than legal, but your character and what you stand for have never been in question. You're not the type of man to reduce yourself to cheating."

Sometimes I was worried that I couldn't live up to the image that she'd created for me. And then there are days like today that motivate me to try.

A crease appeared in her forehead and I braced myself for what was next. I was determined to wipe that expression off her face with any means necessary.

"Do you call what we did cheating?" She asked finally.

"I'd call it unavoidable," I said. And I meant it. I didn't want her to beat herself up over what happened between us. I never would have pegged myself as a guy who would go after another man's woman, but there was something about Stephanie that kept drawing me closer to her. And I couldn't get enough. I still can't. I have her, but I still want more. I just wasn't sure what _more_ was. Something to think about on another day.

"Are you ready for tonight?" I asked her to keep her from dwelling on her relationship with Morelli.

"You still haven't told me anything beyond that it's a distraction job. Are you going to fill me in now?"

"It's actually going to be a double distraction," I said to her.

"Double distraction?" She asked.

"Yes. You'll be going to the bar tonight as my lover."

"I don't know, Ranger," she said, smiling at me."I'm not that good of an actress. What if I can't pull it off?"

"We can practice right now if you want, Babe," I said, returning her smile."I'm willing."

"You're always willing, but we have things to do. I'm sure Rodriguez has my inbox full already," she said, pulling her sub from the microwave."And I want to know more about this job before we go back downstairs. You talk and I'll eat."

"You'll have to make it up to me tonight," I said, more to hear her comeback than anything. She didn't disappoint.

She held up her right hand."I, Stephanie Plum, solemnly swear to rock your world tonight if you'll just tell me what I'm getting into here."

I laughed out loud. After the age of eighteen I've rarely shown anything before Stephanie Plum burst into my life. And I had to admit, it felt damn good. Maintaining a superhero persona sometimes had it's drawbacks. With Stephanie, I could be both. A man with emotions and a sense of humor, and also her Batman.

"Although there was no Bible present, Babe," I said to her,"I'm going to hold you to your word." I sat down beside her at the table."As far as our FTA goes, it's pretty much a standard job for you. You're going to try to catch the guy's eye long enough so I can call him out for coming on to you. Best case scenario is that I get him mad enough to come outside with me where Tank and Lester will be waiting."

"Worst case scenario?"

"He touches you and I kill him in the middle of the bar."

"Yeah, I don't think that's a good idea," she said to me."The police hate when you bring them dead skips."

"The police don't have to know, Babe," I told her. There were many things that I've done over the years that the police never knew about. And if something happened to Stephanie, I wouldn't need the police to handle it for me.

"Moving on," she said.

She knew I meant what I said. In the beginning, I was worried that she wouldn't accept this side of my personality, but I should've known to never underestimate her. Stephanie Plum was one of he strongest women I've ever met. It may be in her own way, but she could deal with things that would make grown men curl up into fetal positions.

"Tell me more," she said."Whose the FTA? And how dangerous is he?"

"Mario Copley. And you've had worse," I told her."The reason why we're not just doing a standard takedown with this guy is that he's unpredictable. He's young and he thinks he's invincible. He's always carrying. And he's been in the system long enough so he's no longer scared of it. I don't want him to feel threatened enough to involve other bar patrons in the capture."

"Sounds like we have a fun night ahead of us," she said."What look am I going for? Slutty? Classy? Joyce?"

"Definitely not Joyce, Babe," I said to her. Just saying her name made me want to wash my mouth out with anti-bacterial soap.

"Good," Steph said."I couldn't pull off that level of skank."

I smiled at her."I was thinking a sexier version of girl-next-door. Slightly unattainable, but worth trying anyway."

"You said he was young, how young are we talking here?" She asked.

"Twenty-five."

"And you think a twenty-five year old will be interested in me?"

"Babe, every guy that meets you is interested in you," I told her."He'll be no different. The problem is going to be making sure that he doesn't get _too_ interested in you."

"I'll do my best," she said, balling up the sub wrapper and throwing it away."What time are we leaving?"

"Around ten o'clock," I said to her."It should give us time to establish ourselves as customers before he shows up. Our source says that he usually shows up close to eleven, stays for an hour, and then heads to his girlfriend's house."

"He shows up at his girlfriend's house at midnight every night?" She asked me.

"He's seeing an older woman," I told her."And her husband works the late shift."

"This guy sounds like a real winner."

"The file is downstairs in my office. You can read it over dinner tonight."

"Okay," she said."I'm ready to go." She looked at me before exiting the kitchen."I didn't see you eat anything," she said."You did each lunch, right? You didn't just go out for a sub for me and not eat anything yourself, did you?"

"Relax, Babe," I said to her. I wasn't used to people wanting to take care of me but, for her, I'd tolerate it."I had a sandwich in my office before I left."

"Good. Then I guess there's nothing else to do except see how many of my searches regenerated themselves."

"Look on the bright side, Steph," I said to her."You know that you'll always have a job here."

"That's reassuring, but also a tad annoying," she said."Couldn't you have more interesting searches for me to run? Or maybe I could start tracking your skips for you. I don't have to catch them, but I could give you a list of places where they'd be."

"I'll see if I can find something more challenging for you."

"It doesn't have to be challenging," she said to me."Just something that doesn't threaten to put me to sleep three hours out of the day."

And this is the woman Morelli thought would be content with spending her life inside his house taking care of his children? The thought that she came close to doing just that still kept me up nights.

"I'll see what FTA's Rangeman currently has and get back to you." I raised my hand and brushed a curl back behind her ear."I like the fact that you see yourself doing more than just background searches and distraction jobs for Rangeman."

"Your company is perfect for someone like me," she said, surprising me.

I wasn't sure where she was going with this, but she had me curious.

"You hire based on a person's strengths, not their pasts," she said."You don't care about what a person looks like, how many tattoos they may have, or what race or nationality they are, as long as they can get the job done."

"You don't have tattoos, Babe," I pointed out to her.

"You know what I mean," she said."Rangeman is based on actual people, not pieces of paper. You saw how much trouble I had finding a job after I quit working for Vinnie. And I graduated from college and everything. If you hadn't offered me a job here, I might have gotten kicked out of my apartment."

"I would have hired you even if you weren't desperate," I told her. And I would have. She had luck and damn good instincts that would be an asset to any company she worked for. I'm just glad that Rangeman was the one she chose.

"That exactly what I'm talking about," she said to me."The best thing about your company, Ranger, is that you hire based on the person in front of you. That's why the guys are so loyal to you. The reason why _I'm_ loyal to you. You didn't write me off as an idiot that didn't know what I was doing when you first met me, but offered to help me instead."

Steph has always believed that I'm a better man than I actually was, but I didn't care as long as she kept doing it.

"Babe," I said, my voice softening."_I_ would have been the idiot if I hadn't seen your potential. You had a certain determination in your eyes that told me that you were going to follow through with bringing Morelli in even if I wasn't going to help you. And you _did_ bring him it."

"By tricking him," she said."That didn't take a whole lot of skill."

"When you're a bounty hunter you do whatever works to get the guy."

She slid her hands up my chest, and held my eyes for a moment before speaking."I don't know what I did in my life to deserve you," she said, closing the distance between our lips."If I _did _know, then I'd do it all over again." And she kissed me.

My hands were resting on her hips and I pulled her flush against me. I never had to worry about things cooling off between us. As soon as Stephanie got within ten feet of me, I was ready to go off like a fucking rocket launcher. And she's an even bigger turn on when she initiates the contact.

She pulled back and smiled up at me."We have to leave," she said, the regret in her voice was obvious,"but let's get back to this when we come back from capturing Copley, okay?"

"I'm all for it," I told her."I'll have Tank take him to the station so we can get back to it sooner."

"I like the way you think," she said, kissing me again before sliding past me and heading towards the door.

I watched her walk away from me and felt my stomach clench. Tonight was too far away as far as I was concerned. I kept my arm around her during the elevator ride down to the control room. I've always had a hard time keeping my hands off her, but now that I didn't have to_ at all_, I took full advantage. The way Steph leaned into me convinced me that she was okay with it.

The doors opened to Lester and Hal.

"Hey, guys," Steph said to them, and I could see Hal turn about three different shades of red. Even after knowing her as long as he has, Steph still reduced Hal to an incoherent schoolboy. Lester had no such problem.

"I begged Tank to let me come along with him tonight," Lester said to her."What outfit do I have to look forward to seeing?"

I know he didn't mean anything by it, since the men knew that they'd lose all of their appendages if they tried anything with Steph, but I still wanted Lester to keep his comments to himself.

"How many times do I have to tell you to shut it, Lester, before I have to do something about it?"

"Ranger, it's okay," Steph said, putting a hand on my arm.

"No, it's not, Babe," I told her."I'm not letting anyone disrespect you. And especially not in my own building."

"Sorry, Boss," Lester said."I was just joking around. You know we all respect Steph. It's just that we consider her our friend, too. And, because of that, I sometimes forget to keep my mouth shut."

"You can't blame Lester for flirting," Steph said to me."It's who he is. You know that."

"True, Babe. But he can restrain himself when it comes to you. Or I'll do it for him."

She turned to Lester and shrugged."I tried," she said."It's on you now."

Tank interrupted at that point."Is tonight a go?" He asked me.

"Yes. Steph's going to read over the Copley's file after work."

"Ranger gave me a brief overview, though," she said to Tank."Ranger and I are going in together to prevent Copley from hurting anyone else in the bar."

"If anyone can make somebody do something against their will," Tank said to her,"it'd be you, Steph."

"Thanks," she said."I think."

"Come on, Babe, let's let the guys get back to work," I said, steering her towards her cubby.

She sat down at her desk and turned her chair to face me.

"I have back to back meetings in the conference room starting at two o'clock," I told her."I should be done by five. If I'm not, the file is on my desk down here."

"Okay," she said."I guess you're not worried about me snooping around in your office then."

"Nothing to snoop through, Babe" I told her."We're called a security company for a reason. Anything that you would deem interesting is locked securely away."

"Bubble burster."

I laughed."See you in a little while. Try to stay out of trouble."

She snorted."What kind of trouble could I possibly get into _here_?"

"I don't exactly know, Babe, but Lester and Bobby are here, and Hal is always an easy target for the two of them."

"They're not that bad," she said.

"Trust me when I say that they are that bad," I told her."If they approach you. Say _no_ to whatever they come up with."

"Should I keep an eye on Hal?" She asked.

"No," I told her."If he can't handle them by now, then he deserves whatever they'd planned on doing. I just don't want you to be drawn into it."

"All right," she said, smiling."I'll chain myself to my desk and not look anyone in the eye."

"Would you?" I asked, returning her smile.

"No."

"I knew it was too good to be true," I said to her.

"It was. Now go. I'll be fine."

"You'd better be or someone will pay," I said. I gave her a lingering kiss and reluctantly left her to finish my day.

Both meetings ran long, and it was almost six o'clock by the time I got back to my apartment. Steph was sitting on the couch with Copley's picture in her hand.

"I don't get it," she said, when I sat down next to her and pulled her to me.

"Get what, Babe?" I asked, dropping a kiss to the top of her curls.

"How someone who is good looking, comes from a good family, and obviously has no money issues judging by his address, can want this kind of life for themselves. Constantly in and out of jail, no close friends, a girlfriend legally bound to someone else. Why?"

I sometime forget how sheltered she was before becoming a bounty hunter."Some people grow up feeling entitled to whatever they want, and aren't afraid of hurting or using anyone close to them to get it."

"Sounds like a sad way to live."

I've never asked anyone to do something that I wouldn't do myself, so I can't say that I've used people to get to where I am. But I did hurt people, and kept myself from getting close to anyone. And I knew it wasn't a good way to live."It is, Babe," I told her.

She put Copley's picture down, and tilted her head to look at me."You're not anything like him," she said.

"No, I'm not. But some days I feel like I have more in common with the skips I bring in than anyone else."

"Luckily, you have me around now to tell you how stupid that is."

"Lucky me," I told her, but I meant it. I _was_ extremely lucky that she didn't get tired of my avoiding our feelings for each other and move on.

"Ella brought dinner," she said to me."It's in the kitchen."

"You didn't have to wait for me." Truth is, I'm glad that she'd waited. I've gotten used to sharing meals with her whenever I got the chance.

"I wanted to," she said, pulling me to my feet, and heading into the kitchen.

"Did the boys behave today?" I asked her.

"Lester and Bobby were perfect angels," she said to me.

"Angels, Babe?" I asked."The closest either one of them has come to angels is when they drive by the church statues on their way to a job."

"Okay, maybe angel wasn't the right word," she said,"but they didn't get into any trouble. Probably because Hal was more alert than a caffeinated squirrel. They couldn't get past the planning stage on anything."

And to think I paid these men to work for me.

"Let's eat so I can get started getting ready."

"We only have to leave at ten," I said to her."You have close to four hours."

"It takes a lot of time to make magic to happen," she said.

"You don't need magic, Babe."

She smiled at me."Thanks, but I _do_ at least need mascara and hairspray."

"Four hours worth?" I think Steph looks her best when she's not wearing anything. No make up, hairspray or ... clothes.

"Yes," she said, gesturing towards the table."Now sit down and eat."

I think I've had drill sergeants less bossy than her. And to think this was the woman who admitted that I scared the crap out of her not that long ago. But I've found the intimacy we now share was more satisfying than any benefit the fear has had.

I dished us out each a bowl of what looked like chicken and dumplings and sat down across from her. And if the noise Steph made when she took her first bite was anything to go by, it was good. After Stephanie had eaten the last dumpling out of the pot, she went to the bedroom to get ready. I knew I only had to change clothes before we left, so I went to my office off the bedroom to do a little more work before we had to leave.

When I walked into the bedroom over two hours later, my mouth went dry. Steph was wearing black low-rise pants that did everyone of her curves justice, a red tank top with skinny straps that showed a sliver of her stomach and hipbones every time she moved. I just stood there, eyes trained on the exposed skin knowing that my mouth had traced that same area just last night. And it was anxious to do it again. She was sexy, but not looking like she was trying to be. Just like I'd always thought of her.

"Are you going to stand there all night?" She asked, walking over to me with a pair of black heels in her hands.

"Not all of the night, Babe," I told her."I was just taking a moment to appreciate the view."

"Uh-huh," she said."From the way you were looking at me, I was afraid that my clothes would just start flying off. I don't know the extent of all your super powers, so I didn't want to chance it."

I laughed."Rest assured, Steph," I said."I don't have that power. But it _would_ come in handy."

"Like you need any help in that department," she said, putting a hand on my arm and using me to steady herself as she slid on her shoes.

When she was done, she wrapped her arms around my neck and leaned in close. The height of her heels put her at almost the same height as me, and my body couldn't have been happier about that. Her breasts pushed into my chest, and I had to tell myself that there'd be plenty of time for this in a couple of hours. After we picked up Copley.

It wasn't easy, but I managed to put a little distance between us before I said to hell with Copley.

"I didn't think I'd ever see a day when you'd be forced to retreat," she said, smiling.

"I didn't think I'd ever have to, Babe," I told her."But I've learned that skill, training, and muscle, don't help a whole lot around you."

If it was possible her smile got even bigger.

"You look beautiful," I told her.

"I'm glad that you think so," she said."I hope Copley does, too."

"He's dumb, Babe, not blind," I told her."Let me change and then we can head downstairs to meet with Tank and Lester."

I didn't bother going into the bathroom to change. I got a pair of black jeans and a white t-shirt from the dressing room and stripped right there in front of her. I wasn't embarrassed by my body, and I was hoping to show Steph that she shouldn't be embarrassed about hers, either. I looked over at her when I finished zipping my jeans, and I could see that she was giving me the same look she accused me of giving her. I slowly pulled my t-shirt over my head, and heard Steph sigh when my chest was completely covered. How I stayed away from her for as long as I did, I'll never know.

I sat down on the edge of the bed and pulled on my boots. Steph gestured to my t-shirt.

"Are you disguising yourself as an ordinary man tonight?" She asked.

"Babe, you know that there's nothing ordinary about me," I said, standing up.

"True," she said."You know, I forgot to ask what bar we are going to tonight."

"Intake Lounge," I told her, giving it a second to sink in.

"You're kidding me."

"No." She was probably thinking the same thing I had when I heard where Copley was said to be hanging out.

Intake Lounge was a neighborhood bar located on the corners of 3rd and Federal Street. It was also directly across the street of the New Jersey State Prison. I'd already discussed with Tank about adding additional equipment and weapons to our bodies and our vehicles. I knew that if the inmates decided to riot, it'd be at a time when Steph was across the street from them. Her timing was that impeccable.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" She asked.

"It's all taken care of, Babe," I told her."Don't worry about it," I said, walking over to the gun safe.

"Hard not to," she said, watching me as I strapped a holster and pistol around my ankle, slipped a knife into my boot, and stuck my Glock into the waistband of my jeans."Jeez, if I wasn't feeling under-dressed before, then I am now."

I couldn't wear a utility belt, but I felt that I was prepared for anything."I want you carrying tonight, too," I told her. I knew she hated it, but it was mandatory that every Rangeman employee carry a gun on them. And this _was_ a Rangeman case. I also wanted to know that if we got separated at all tonight that she'd have more backup than just her knee.

"I haven't forgotten your rules," she told me, on her way out of the bedroom."I've got my gun in my bag. I even made a special trip to my apartment to get it when you were busy."

"Rangeman would have supplied one for you."

"I know, but I still remember the time you picked out a gun for me when I first started working here. And I was afraid what you'd come up with next."

If I could have managed it, she'd be outfitted in a bullet-proof body suit and matching helmet. She'd probably accuse me of being overprotective. I'd call it _cautious._

"You ready, Babe?" I asked.

"Yep."

I grabbed my keys and she picked up her bag to show me that not only did she pack her .38, she had a her stun-gun and pepper spray, too.

"And it's fully charged," she said, holding up her stun-gun."I also have my own cuffs. And I have hairspray and a nail file in case we get desperate."

"It won't come to that," I promised her.

"I'm just letting you know that I'm listening when you talk about being prepared."

"I appreciate that, Babe," I said with a straight face.

She saw through my expression and stuck her tongue out at me.

"Come on, Tiger," I said to her."Let's go before Tank comes up here looking for us."

We met Tank and Lester in the Rangeman garage and Lester glanced at Steph.

"Copley, doesn't stand a chance," he said.

"Santos."

"What?" He said."I didn't say anything about Steph. I was talking about the skip."

Tank gave him a slap to the back of his head."Ouch!"

"Now would be a good time to stop talking," he told Lester.

"The plans are the same," I told them."You two will find a reason to be hanging around the front door and Steph and I will go in alone. Steph will try to attract Copley's attention and I'll try to antagonize him enough to make him want to beat the shit out of me outside. He's not usually with someone when he's here, but keep in mind that he could be. I don't want anyone hurt, except Copley. And only if he need to be," I said to Tank, since he's been known to_ 'accidentally' _maim some of the guys he brings in."And I don't need to tell you what will happen if Stephanie is harmed in any way, do I?"

"Jeez, Ranger," Steph said."I can handle myself. Stop threatening them."

"It's not a threat," Tank told her."It's a promise. And we know it. I still have nightmares about the night we lost you and as a result you were kidnapped by Constantine Stiva. I'll do anything to prevent what we went through when we got back here that night from happening again."

She turned to me."What did you do?" She asked me.

"What I had to, Babe," I told her."Detail aren't important."

She looked over at the guys."Sorry for whatever he," she said, pointing at me,"did. That one was my fault."

"You didn't kidnap yourself, Steph " Lester said."Place the blame on the person who deserves it."

That person was currently rotting away in prison. A much nicer place then I would've put him.

"It's almost ten," I told everyone."Let's head out."

Tank and Lester climbed into their SUV and waited until Steph and I had pulled out and before following us all the way to the Intake Lounge.

"I wonder if this is what the president feels like," she said, with her eyes on the rearview mirror.

I thought about something Morelli had said earlier that day about what kind of life could I offer her."Does it bother you?" I asked.

"Does what bother me?"

"The round the clock security? The need for weapons? The constant scrutiny of every aspect of my life?"

"No," she said."What brought this on? I thought we had all of this settled."

"It was something that Morelli said," I told her."Asking what I could offer you."

"Jerk," she said."Morelli. Not you. The only thing I want that you can offer me is unconditional love. And you're the first person outside of my parents to give me it. The fact that I can come to you about anything that's going on with me and have you listen without judging me is all that I want from you. The cars, your apartment, your contacts, are all just icing on the cake to me. And I want you to understand that I wouldn't be with you if I cared about the never ending safety precautions. Sure it's annoying, and most of the time I think it's unnecessary, but you warned me about the need for it from the very beginning. And I agreed to it, Ranger, so I'm not going to make a fuss about it now. Joe still thinks of me as someone who needs to be taken care of, but I didn't choose that life. I chose_ you_. And having bodyguards on me twenty-four hours a day won't make me change my mind. I know that you're doing everything_ for _me, not as a way to_ control _me. _I_ can tell that there's a difference, even if Joe can't."

I reached over and squeezed her hand."If only Morelli could see this side of you. It'd change his opinion of what kind of woman you are."

"He probably would have dumped me long ago if I shattered his fantasy."

"If it makes you feel better, Babe, you've been my fantasy for years," I told her."And you've lived up to every one that I've had."

She wrapped her other hand around mine."It doesn't matter what Joe says or thinks, Ranger. You're the one who is always telling me that," she said."Trust me, if I'm not happy about something, then you'll be the first person to hear about it."

"I don't doubt it, Babe," I said. Steph was nothing if not vocal about ... everything."And that's how I want it, Babe. I need to be the first person you go to when you're unhappy about something so I can do something to fix it."

"Sometimes you won't be able to, Ranger," she said."But I love you for wanting to try."

Fifteen minutes later, we pulled up in front of the bar. The Intake Lounge was a red brick building just off the street so parking close to the door wasn't a problem. I parked my truck and Tank parked putting a car between us. I wanted them close, but I didn't want anyone to assume that we were here together. I still ran the risk of being recognized by someone in the bar, or Copley himself, but since we don't do a lot of pick ups in this neighborhood I didn't think there'd be a problem.

I got out of the truck and walked over to the passenger side. I opened the door for Stephanie, and took a moment to appreciate her as she slid down from the seat. With an arm around her waist, I escorted her into the bar. Inside, the Intake Lounge was your typical bar. A few small tables sandwiched between a pool table in the back and a row of barstools in the front. Bathrooms you probably wouldn't want to use. The lights were dimmed and the bartender looked bored. But it was one of those bars you didn't have to worry about dying in. As opposed to some of the ones on Stark Street where getting a beer could cost you your life.

"I think we should get a couple of beers and hang out around the pool table," I told her."We'll be able to see the entire room while looking like we belong here."

"You're going to drink beer while working?" She asked me.

I smiled at her."No, Babe. But it's easier to pretend you are if you have a bottle in front of you instead of a clear drink glass."

"You really think of everything, don't you?"

"To keep my people alive, I have to," I told her."And having you here makes me more aware of what's on the line if something goes wrong."

"Nothing will go wrong, tonight," she said."You'll see."

I ordered two beers and took them, and Steph, over to the empty pool table.

"I'm not real good at playing pool," she said."The only way I can get the ball to go into one of the pockets is if I put it there myself with my hand. I mean, I know what I'm supposed to do, but something happens between my brain and my hands and the balls don't go where they're supposed to."

"Only you, Babe," I said. There really wasn't anyone like her. And seconds after meeting her, I knew that she was the woman for me."Maybe I can show you a few moves before Copley arrives."

"Is there anything that you aren't good at?"

"If there is," I said,"I haven't found it yet."

"That would sound cocky if anyone else had said it," she said to me."But it's disgustingly true when you're the one saying it."

I put the bottles down on the edge of the pool table and picked up a pool cue."Come on, Babe," I said."I'll rack them up and help you make a shot."

"Uh-huh," she said."Don't hold your breath. I suck at pool, but since we have nothing else to do, I'll try again."

I handed the pool cue over to her and showed her the proper way to hold it. I stood behind her, and leaned over holding the cue, along with her hands, in the perfect angle for a clean break.

"Um ... Ranger?"

"Yeah, Babe."

"You're distracting me," she said."And this isn't supposed to be _that_ kind of distraction job."

I smiled into her hair."I'm just helping you out," I said, leaning even closer.

"Okay. But don't blame me if Mario Copley trips in front of me and I don't even notice him."

"I'm right there with you, Babe," I told her."I wouldn't notice him, either."

"Maybe you should have sent Lester with me instead. We don't seem focused on the objective here."

"Not a chance, Steph," I said."Lester can keep Tank company. And I'm just playing with you a little until Copley walks in. As soon as he does, I'll be all business again."

"Yeah, _monkey_ business," I heard her say under her breath.

I couldn't help myself. I lowered my head until my lips brushed her ear and whispered."I'm saving the monkey business until we get home, Babe, this is just a preview." I felt her shiver in my arms, and I gently bit her earlobe to give her something to think about. She shivered again, but focused on the task at hand.

"Okay, show me how this is done," she said moving the cue in our hands.

I stretched out my arms over hers and helped her make a shot that sent three balls into different pockets.

"I did it!" She said, hugging me."Maybe there's hope for me yet."

"A few more times, and you'll be a pro," I told her.

I helped her make a few more shots before I let her go to try on her own. Copley came into the bar twenty minutes later. His eyes scanned the room as soon as he walked in. They landed on Stephanie and stayed a beat too long before he moved on. I tamped down my protective instincts that told me to rip his throat out for looking at her like that. It'd been a cold, calculating look that I didn't trust, and didn't like one fucking bit. I looked over at Steph and saw that she noticed him, too. But if he'd already showed some interest in Steph, then maybe this job wouldn't take long to wrap up.

I leaned in close to Steph."He already noticed you," I said, quietly."Wait a few minutes and try to catch his eye again."

"How am I supposed to get him to approach me with you glaring at him?" She asked.

I didn't realized that I still was until she mentioned it. I hadn't considered our relationship when asking Steph to help with this job. But I knew it had no place here. We were partners in life, and in our job, but I couldn't let myself confused the two. I wasn't going to act like Morelli and let my jealousy rule my actions. This was part of Stephanie's job and I wasn't going to make her second guess it.

"How do you want to do this?" Wanting to show that I trusted her instincts when it came to this case.

She took another pull from her beer and handed the half empty bottle to me. Steph didn't share my view of not drinking beer on the job."Why don't you got to the bar and get me another drink." She held up her hand when she saw I was going to comment on it."Don't worry, I'm not going to drink it. It'll just give me a chance to get his attention and give him the opportunity to make contact."

"Are you sure, Babe?" I asked.

"Yes," she said."Just give me a couple of minutes."

I kissed her curls and made my way to the bartender. I didn't like leaving her alone, but I trusted her to do her job the same way she trusted me to do mine. Plus, I got to see her in action. Tank was right about Steph. She _was _amazing at getting people to do what she wanted. I ordered Steph another beer and leaned back against the bar to see how Steph was doing. It didn't surprise me when I saw Copley on his way over to her. Steph wouldn't be considered a femme fatale, but there was something about her that men just flocked to. And Copley wasn't any different. The bartender placed the beer on the bar, and I'd just finished paying when I heard Steph's voice. I whipped around and saw Copley had his hand on her waist and was leaning too close to her, invading her space. She wasn't in trouble, so I waited for a sign from her. She looked directly at me and nodded. I grabbed the beer off the bar and a second later, I was removing Mario Copley's hand personally.

"Are you hitting on my woman?" I asked, my voice low.

"She was coming on to me," Mario said.

"I was not!" Steph said, really getting into her role."All I did was smile when I caught him staring at me. Next thing I knew, he was all over me. What is it about men that make you think that just because a woman is friendly that she wants to sleep with you?"

I focused on Copley."Is that true?" I asked.

"No," he said."No offense, but your girlfriend is a major slut_. _You weren't gone for a minute before she was making eyes at me."

"I'm not a _slut,_"Steph said."You pig!"

For a moment I was worried that she'd punch him out before we got out of here.

"If you were smart," I said to Copley,"you'd keep your hands to yourself and your mouth closed."

"Or what?" he asked.

"Or she might take you out," I said, nodding to Steph.

"You can't fight your own battles?" He asked me."You have to hide behind a pair of tits?"

I heard Steph's sharp inhale. I didn't let emotion cloud my thinking, but he was starting to make me mad."No, I don't. I'd just let her have the first crack at you before _I_ finished you off." From the way Steph was eyeing the pool cue, I thought Copley should be more concerned about the fact that she was thinking of sticking it someplace he wouldn't want it stuck.

I could see a little bit a fear in his eyes at that point, but he had too much to prove to back off now."You think I can't take you?" He asked.

"I know for a fact that you can't take me," I said, not reacting at all while he was obviously getting more pissed.

"Well, we'll see about that."

"Hey!" The bartender yelled."You two, take it outside! I'm not scrubbing blood off the floors tonight."

Perfect, I thought. Now we had a reason to leave."You backing down?" I taunted.

"Fuck, no!" He said, walking out the door.

'"That was easy," Steph said, coming up next to me.

Copley was already cuffed when we walked out. As Steph passed by him, she ground the heel of her shoe into his foot."It's not polite to call a woman a slut," she said to him."We don't like it." And she walked off.

I saw Tank smile and I could almost hear what he was thinking. Not only had I met the woman I'd always dreamed about having but, in her, I'd also met my match. We _were _partners in every sense of the the word._  
_


	8. Chapter 8

**Thanks to everyone who left reviews for chapter 7, guest or otherwise. It was reading everyone's comments that got this chapter finished when I wasn't even sure where to start. All familiar phrases and characters belong to Janet. The mistakes are mine. Warnings for language.**

**Stephanie's POV**

I left Copley with Ranger and stomped off towards the truck. Ranger wasn't too far behind me with Tank and Lester bringing up the rear.

"Why are men such assholes?" I asked them.

"Babe."

"Okay, so you're not an asshole."

Tank and Lester raised their eyebrows at me.

"Fine," I said."You guys aren't assholes, either."My eyes landed on Copley."But _he_ definitely is. He knew I was with someone and he still hit on me and _I'm_ the one that gets called a slut? How unfair is that?"

Tank started walking away with Copley, probably to keep me from doing something else to him. Ranger caught Tank's eye before he moved too far away.

"Take the long way to the station," he told Tank.

I hadn't seen Tank smile that wide since Ranger and I announced we were together. He hurried Copley to the Rangeman vehicle behind us before Ranger could change his mind.

"Tank's happy," I said to Ranger.

"He's easy to please."

"I thought you told him not to hurt Copley unless it was necessary."

"It is necessary," Ranger said, opening my door."I told Lester that no one disrespects you, and now Copley is going to find out what happens when you do."

"Why Tank?" I asked him."Shouldn't_ I _be the one to beat on him, since it was me he insulted? And I thought_ you'd _be the one who'd want to teach him a lesson. You like doing stuff like that."

"Tank is the only one out of the three of us that would know when to stop," Ranger said.

"Good point," I said, sliding into the passenger seat. I_ have _been told that I couldn't control myself in a professional situation from Joe countless times. And Ranger's told me the same thing in more _personal_ situations. And Ranger would probably rather dispose of a body than fill out paperwork, so maybe Tank_ was _the better choice.

Ranger angled behind the wheel and started for Rangeman.

We were halfway there when Ranger spoke."You did good tonight, Babe."

"You don't care that I lost it a little at the end?" I asked him.

"Not at all," Ranger said."In fact, seeing a woman stand up for herself is sexy as hell. Especially when that woman is you."

"You're not just saying that to get me naked, are you?"

"I don't have to compliment you to get you naked, Babe," Ranger said, not sounding the least bit arrogant.

Of course, he didn't have to act arrogant. I wanted him and he knew it.

"And I don't need to flatter you to get you into bed, Steph. If I say you did good, you don't have to question it."

"I don't, Ranger."

And I didn't. Ranger didn't hand out praise unless it was deserved. He always meant what he said, and cut out all the BS that normal men relied on. It was actually reassuring, since you never had to wonder where you stood with him. Well, now that we've gotten over our relationship misunderstandings, I didn't have to wonder where I stood with him anymore.

"Is Copley going to survive Tank?" I asked.

"If he's smart enough to keep his mouth shut."

I wasn't sure he was. He didn't strike me as the sharpest knife in the drawer. Heck, he may not even be in the same kitchen as all the other knives."I should feel bad about that, shouldn't I?"

"No," Ranger said to me."Some people need to be taught a lesson before admitting that they need to change. You and Tank might be Copley's lesson tonight."

Ranger pulled into the Rangeman garage and parked. He draped an arm around my shoulders as we walked to the elevator. I wrapped my arm around his waist and leaned against him until the elevator doors opened to Ranger's apartment. Ranger unlocked the door and followed me into the kitchen. I said hi to Rex, got two bottles of water out of the fridge, and handed one to Ranger. Normally after a job I'd be reaching for a beer, but I'd had enough of beer tonight.

Ranger walked up behind me and circled my waist with his arms, resting his chin on the top of my head."We make a great team, Babe."

"We do, don't we?"

"Yes," he said."I just wish I would have admitted it sooner."

"Hey, you're not the only one to blame in this, Ranger," I said."I made things more difficult between us then they needed to be," I said to him."But I think we're here now because we're both finally ready to be."

Ranger's arms tightened around me."How did you get so smart?"

I tipped my head back against him and kissed the underside of his jaw."I learned from the best."

"The best, Babe?"

I turned around in his arms and looked up at him."Yep, in everything he does."

"You'd better be talking about me," Ranger said, a warning clear in his voice.

I couldn't stop the smile that formed on my lips."As if there _could_ be anyone else," I said to him."You once told me that you were going to ruin me for all other men, but I didn't know exactly what that meant until recently."

"What are you saying, Steph?" He asked me.

"That you'd better really like having me around, because I don't think I could ever give you up now that I know what it can be like between us."

"There's a bigger chance of world peace breaking out tonight, Babe, than you having to."

"Good," I said,"because I'm pretty sure that there's not a man out there that could measure up. And I'm no longer the type of woman who settles."

"I promise you, Steph," Ranger said,"you won't ever have a reason to settle ever again."

I leaned closer to him and brushed my lips across his jaw, along his cheek, all the way to his ear."Prove it," I whispered against it.

Here's the thing about Ranger, not only does he never back down from a challenge, he somehow always manages to exceed it. And what came after he pulled me towards the bedroom was no different.

The next day I was sitting in my cubby when the intercom on my desk buzzed.

"Babe, can you come to my office?"

"Sure. What's up?"

"I'll explain everything to you when you get here."

The door was closed when I got to Ranger's office. I gave it a quick knock before walking in. I figured he was expecting me so I didn't bother waiting for a reply. Ranger was sitting at his desk and Tank was occupying the chair across from him.

"What's going on guys?" I asked them.

Ranger got up and walked around his desk to me, dropping a kiss at my hairline before leading me to the couch that took up almost one wall of the office. I've had more than one fantasy that included this particular couch over the years. Maybe one of these days ...

"Babe," Ranger said, bringing me back to why I was there."Focus."

"Sorry," I said to him."I'm back."

Ranger bent close to my ear so Tank wouldn't hear."Nothing to be sorry for, Babe, just hold that thought until later."

I forcefully pushed the image of Ranger stretched out on this couch, and at my mercy, out of my mind and gave Tank and Ranger my full attention.

"You've said that you'd be willing to meet with clients for us," Ranger said,"so we've decided to take you up on it, and give you an opportunity to see how you like doing it."

"I don't know Ranger," I told him."I don't want to hurt your business if I do anything to change someone's mind about choosing your company."

"Tank and I have discussed it, and we both agree that Rangeman could benefit from you taking a more active role in it," Ranger said."You can do this, Babe."

"But we're talking about serious money here," I said to them."_Your_ money."

"If they can't see you for what you are," Ranger said to me,"then we don't want them associated in any way with Rangeman, so it wouldn't even be an issue."

"I appreciate you feeling that I can do a job like this, but I don't know if I'm ready for that level of responsibility."

"You _are_ ready, Babe," Ranger said."You just need a little nudge."

"This isn't a nudge," I told him."This is a boot in the ass."

"Whatever gets results," Ranger said, smiling.

"He's right, Steph," Tank said. He'd been quiet during our discussion, but I knew it wouldn't last long."This is purely a business decision. Ranger isn't offering you this job just because you're sharing his bed."

"Tank," Ranger said, his voice hard.

"Let him talk, Ranger," I said."I want to hear what he has to say."

"We believe that you'd be a good representative for this company," Tank said."Steph, you're the only person who would be able to put clients at ease when they would normally be intimidated by the men who work here."

"Sort of like ... if I can survive working here then you guys can't be all that bad?"

"Something like that, Babe."

"Well if you guys really think I can help," I said to them,"then I'll try to live up to your expectations."

"If you're going to be the woman standing shoulder to shoulder with Ranger," Tank said, holding my gaze,"then you're going to have to get over all this self-doubt you have."

"Tank, that's enough," Ranger said.

"What do you mean?" I asked Tank, ignoring Ranger for the moment. Tank was the one that had been to hell and back with Ranger, so if anyone had the inside scoop as to what Ranger wanted and needed, it would be Tank. And I wanted to know everything I could about what Ranger needed from me.

"Ranger is a man that doesn't second guess _anything," _Tank said."That's what made him such an outstanding soldier. He sees what needs to be done and then does what he has to in order to accomplish it. The only time I've ever seen him at all unsure was when you entered his life."

I cut my eyes to Ranger, but he wasn't looking at me. He was busy, I think, mentally telling Tank to shut his pie-hole."I don't want you to be unsure about _anything_, Ranger."

"I'm not, Babe."

"He's not anymore," Tank said."But _you_ are. You need to stop questioning our motives. Everyone here has your best interest at heart. And not just because Ranger insists on it. If Ranger, or one of us, asks you to do something, believe that we're asking you because we honestly want_ your _opinion or _your_ help."

I looked over at Ranger again."And you wanted to shut him up?"

"It's always a fifty-fifty chance that he'll make a situation worse by speaking."

"He definitely made it better this time," I said."Thanks Tank. It's going to take me a little while to get used to having a support team."

"You have one now, Babe," Ranger said."And we wouldn't push you to do something that you couldn't handle. I think this will be good for you as well as Rangeman."

"Okay then. When do I start?"

"Half-hour," Ranger said, surprising the heck out of me."We're meeting Mr. and Mrs. Emeritus in the conference room."

"In a half hour?"

"Yes."

"Thirty minutes?"

"Yes," Ranger said again."We'll brief you on what they're interested in, and let you do the rest."

"Half an hour?"

This time Tank spoke."Keep up, Steph," he said, handing me a file."Twenty eight minutes now."

I blew out a breath."Okay, let's get to work then," I said."I don't want to make a fool out of myself."

"That's my girl," Ranger said, smiling at me.

"No time for that girly-sappy shit," Tank said.

"Girly-sappy shit?" I asked.

"Yes. Less talking and more reading."

"Can't you do something about him?" I asked Ranger.

"I'll kill him after the meeting," he said."I need him to do a few things before then."

"As long as it's sometime today," I said, smiling.

"Thanks a lot, Steph," Tank said."I was just trying to help you out."

"Help me get through this, and I'll call off Ranger," I told Tank.

"Babe."

I looked at him."You know what I mean."

"You don't need my help," Tank said."You'll do just fine without it."

"Okay," I said to them, taking a look at the papers in front of me."I'm ready to get started."

Twenty minutes later, I was walking into the conference room with Ranger ahead of me and Tank behind me. I felt prepared, but also a little nervous. The older couple that was sitting at the large table were well-dressed, and looking almost as uneasy as I was. That alone made me step from the middle of my muscled safeguards.

"Mr. and Mrs. Emeritus?" I said, holding out my hand to them."I'm Stephanie Plum. Welcome to Rangeman."

Mr. Emeritus stood and shook my hand, followed by Mrs. Emeritus.

"Please, call us Ann and Davis," Mrs. Emeritus said.

"All right. I assume you know Ran ... Mr. Manoso," I said, stumbling over his name. I wasn't sure what name Ranger was using."And Tank." I knew Tank would rather be tortured for three days straight then be called Pierre, so I felt safe there.

"We've talked to_ Ranger _on the phone," Davis said."We don't stand on formality. I do have to say that we were a bit apprehensive about choosing a security firm that employed someone named _Tank_, but he's been extremely helpful, answering our questions, when Ranger wasn't available."

"Yeah, he's our go-to-guy for everything," I told them."Why don't you have a seat and we'll get down to business."

We all sat down and Ranger took over outlining what Rangeman could provide in terms of security for their three-story house and small art gallery they owned and operated. As the meeting wound down, I could see that Ranger had alleviated all their fears. And I was pretty sure he'd have another satisfied customer. Ranger didn't waste words, but what he did say left no doubt in the minds of whoever he was addressing at the time. Mr. and Mrs. Emeritus were almost as enthralled with his presentation as I was.

When I was sure Ranger was finished speaking, I leaned forward and spoke directly to Ann and Davis.

"I can personally vouch for Ranger and every single one of his men. Speaking as someone whose had her fair share of security issues, I know from experience that Ranger himself, or someone from the control room are always the first ones on the scene. Sometimes even before the police. They are extremely professional, but not only that, they also take pride in what they do," I told them."They're trained to keep people safe and Ranger has provided a place for them to use their specific skills to all of our advantage." I glanced at Ranger and saw that he was staring at me with a look that I'd never seen before.

"I believe you," Ann said."You don't have to sell us on Rangeman now. While I'll admit that I wasn't completely sure about hiring this company when we first walked in, but after hearing what Ranger can offer, and hearing you speak so highly of the people who work here, makes me feel comfortable in entrusting our home and business to you."

"You won't regret it," I promised them.

"Steph here is in charge of the public relations side of Rangeman," Tank told Mr. Emeritus.

"A wise choice."

"We think so," Ranger said.

Tank produced the appropriate papers and two minutes later, Rangeman had new clients. And potential for many more.

"I'm going to recommend your company to all of our friends," Ann said to me."And just last week someone broke into my cousins' store. I'm sure she'd also be interested in hearing what I have to say about the people who work here."

"Thank you, Ann, we would appreciate that," I said."Most of Rangeman's clients come from word of mouth."

Davis shook our hands again, and he and his wife walked out of the room decidedly happier, I thought.

"We may need to assign you your own office," Tank said to me.

"Would I get a better chair?" I asked.

"I'm sure we could arrange something," Tank said, before leaving Ranger and I by ourselves.

"And you were worried that you wouldn't be able to do the job?" Ranger said.

"They were a nice couple," I said to him."And I didn't really do anything. They were impressed with the company itself, not me."

"You helped convincing Mrs. Emeritus, Steph," Ranger said."Tank and I both know it. I want you to know it, too."

"I'm getting there, thanks to you."

"I'm the one who should be thanking you, Babe," Ranger said, stepping close to me.

"For what?" I asked.

"For saying what you did to Davis and his wife," Ranger said, cupping my face in his hand."Hearing that you understand the men who work here, hearing that you understand _me, _is not something that we're used to."

"What's not to understand?" I asked him."You guys sacrifice yourselves everyday responding to potentially dangerous calls, you put the serious criminals back in jail, and spend hours watching monitors so people can feel safe in their homes or workplace. Not unlike what police officers do daily. And everyone is told from a young age to respect the police, so why wouldn't people also respect whatyou guys do?"

"Not everyone feels the way you do, Babe."

"Well they should," I told him. I pressed a kiss to his hand and took a step away from him."Now, if there are no more surprise meetings for me, I'm going to make a Tastykake run to Giovichinni's."

"There are plenty of snacks in the kitchen," Ranger said.

"Yogurt and an apple isn't going to help me get rid of the last of my nervous energy," I told him.

"If I didn't have work to do," Ranger said,"I'd help you use up that energy upstairs."

I sighed. Sometimes Ranger's schedule was a pain in the butt. Or an ache in other areas.

"But since you do have to work, a Tastykake will have to be enough for now. I'll be right back."

I decided that I was feeling so good about my part in the meeting, that I took the stairs down to the garage to burn off some residual calories, making way for the ones I was about to consume. If there was a convenience store close to Rangeman, I might have even walked to it. But since there wasn't, I climbed into my car and drove the ten minutes to Giovichinni's.

Fifteen minutes later, I was walking back out of Giovichinni's. I wasn't watching where I was going; not wanting to wait until I was in my car to open the box of Butterscotch Krimpets, and ran smack into someone on their way into the store.

"Sorry," I said, still not looking up.

"Hey, Cupcake."

Morelli. Damn. This had all the potential to be a really good day. And now it was in danger of being ruined. I was determined not to let it be.

"Joe." I wasn't sure which of his moods I was going to get today, but I was done avoiding him. Not that I _was_ exactly, but I haven't made seeing him a priority, either."How are things?"

"They've been better," he said.

"Sorry to hear that," I said to him. But really, I wasn't. Most of the trouble Morelli had gotten into in his life he'd brought on himself. At least, the trouble with me he had.

First the police station. Then at Pino's. And now Giovichinni's. I knew Ranger and I would run into Joe at some point, but this appeared more like a seek and destroy mission on his part than just a coincidence.

"I'm sure that Ranger told you all about our talk."

First round fired, I thought to myself.

"Are you referring to the_ 'talk'' _where you yelled at him outside the police station? Or the one where you accused him of cheating on me?"

"Steph listen, about that ..."

"Ranger didn't have to tell me about the second one," I said to Joe."My phone was ringing off the hook. Thanks a lot for that, by the way. You really believe Ranger would cheat on me?"

"He's a loose canon."

"But you think he'd care so little for me that he'd cheat?" I asked him.

"What _he_ does wouldn't reflect on you," Joe said, angering me further."He'd be the one blamed."

"Oh, really? You know all about my divorce from Dickie," I said."And what happened? Dickie got a round of '_boys will be boys' _for sleeping around_, _and I got accused of not being able to please my husband. And if that wasn't bad enough, I was told that_ I _was the one that screwed up my marriage by calling him out on it. Is that what you wanted to happen again? After everything we had together, Joe, you would still rather me be miserable than happy if I chose to be with someone other than you?"

"Of course not, Cupcake," he said."But why Ranger?"

"You just can't get over the rivalry thing can you?" I asked him."Is this even about me at all? Or are you just mad that Ranger got one up on you?"

"How can you even ask me that?"

"I never thought I'd have to," I said to him.

"You don't," Joe said."This is about you and me."

"There is no _you_ and_ me _anymore. When are you going to realize that?"

"There's been a you and me since you were six years old."

"And look where that got me," I said to him."I've grown up a lot since then, Joe."

"So you've said."

I blew out a breath. I had other fish to fry. I didn't want to stand here and dissect every moment that we've spent together."Why don't you just get it over with and tell me straight out what exactly you want from me."

"Truthfully?"

"Yes!" Yeesh. This conversation was causing flashbacks of our last few months together. And he still wondered why I wanted out of our relationship?

"I want you to dump the psycho and come back to me."

"That's enough, Joe. You can say what you want to me, or about me, but leave Ranger out of it."

"How can I?" Joe asked."He's been between us since the very beginning."

"And did you ever think about why?" I asked him."Because I have. A part of me had always wanted to be with him. And now that I am, I know he's what I've needed all along. And I'm not listening to anything you have to say against him."

"But..."

"Joe, you have to move on, for both our sakes," I told him."Ranger has only a set amount of patience. And you're dangerously close to the end of it."

"I'm not afraid of him."

"I don't need Ranger to fight my battles for me," I told him."Because it's not Ranger you have to worry about right now," I told him."You've almost reached the end of my patience, too."

"Come on, Steph."

"Joe, knock it off," I said to him."You need to get over us. I'm happy with Ranger. And there is no way I'm _ever_ going to leave him for you. So you should focus this attention on finding someone else to be with instead of dwelling on us. Besides, you weren't happy with our relationship even when I _was_ with you. And I know for sure I haven't changed that much for you to be now."

"You're wrong, Steph," Joe said."I _was_ happy with you."

"You had a funny way of showing it," I told him."I'll admit, we did have a few good times together, but the majority of the time we couldn't seem to stand each other."

"That's not true."

"What exactly do you like about me?" I asked him.

He opened his mouth, but I stopped him before he could say anything."And don't list any of my body parts, or anything that happened in the bedroom." I warned him.

He was silent for a full two seconds and I resisted the urge to deck him."Seriously, Joe?! You can't think of one good thing about me that doesn't involve a bed?"

"There are a lot of things I like about you aside from your body," he said.

"Oh yeah?" I said, hands on hips."Name one."

"The way you never give up when you believe strongly in something."

"Seriously,_ that's _what you like about me?" I asked him.

"Yes," Joe said.

"And you really believe that?"

"Yes."

"Then know that I believe in what Ranger and I have," I said."And I'm not jeopardizing it for anyone."

Joe froze as my words sunk in. He stepped right into that with both feet.

"I didn't do any of this to hurt you, Joe," I said to him,"but you have to see that Ranger and my relationship isn't about _you_. And I want you to stop accusing Ranger of something every time he turns around."

"You have to admit that him being seen with another woman looked bad."

"I suppose to some people it would," I said."But in any case, it was_ my _place to question him about it if I felt I needed to, not yours. I'm not opposed to us being friends if we ever got to that place, but right now I'm worried that you'd use any time spent with me just to piss off Ranger, or to try to get information about our relationship to cause problems between us. And I'm going to tell you right now, that I'm not going to put up with it."

"Calm down, Steph," Morelli said.

"I'll calm down when you give me a reason to," I said to him."Bottom line, Joe, is that if you want me in your life, you're going to have to let go of me and all of your Ranger issues, because I'm not going to have a break up that is exactly like how our relationship was; like each other one day, hate each other the next. It's up to you whether I matter enough to you, even if I'm not sleeping with you, to want me in your life as just a friend," I told him. And then I turned around and walked away. Leaving him to hopefully come to a decision we both could live with.

I drove to my apartment to pack more of my clothes to bring back to Ranger's. Rex had mostly moved into Ranger's kitchen and neither one of my men seemed to mind. And at the rate that my clothes were moving, I wasn't too far behind Rex. I didn't know how or when it happened, but Ranger and Rangeman had become the center of my life. The strange part was that my staying there with Ranger had been so uncomplicated that I didn't even notice how long it's been happening. I'd have dinner at his apartment after work and then just spend the night. Or Ranger would have to work late and it just seemed easier to stay on seven instead of driving to back to my place, or having him break into my apartment in the middle of the night when he was done working. And now that I knew it _was_ happening, the trapped feeling I usually developed was missing. Every time I had moved into Joe's house, I felt panicked, thinking that if I stayed too long I'd lose a part of myself. But at Ranger's, I felt none of that. Which didn't really make sense considering Ranger still had bugs on me and my cars, and the control room knew all my comings and goings, but I didn't feel like I was losing anything because of it. More that I was gaining a second home and family. I felt safe and taken care of, instead of feeling manipulated. And the days of hiding what I was thinking or doing; like I'd had to do when I worked on a case around Joe, were over. Today, I knew that if Ranger was unavailable I could go to Tank, or one of the guys, for advice and have them listen to whatever it was I was thinking. They never laughed at me or called me stupid. It was a nice change from the first thirty years of my life.

I fobbed my way into the garage and parked next to Ranger's Porsche. I walked to the elevator and pushed the button for seven, closing my eyes as it climbed the seven floors. I let myself into Ranger's apartment, dropped my shoulder bag and long forgotten bag of goodies on the sideboard, and sighed.

"Morelli again?" Ranger asked from behind me, making me jump. I didn't hear him come in behind me.

"How'd you know?"

"I remember hearing a lot of those sighs when you were with him."

"Well this may be the last of them," I told Ranger."Either he's going to stop hoping you and I break up, or he'll be out of my life for good. I gave him the choice."

"There's a third choice," Ranger said.

I raised my eyebrows in question.

"There's a South American prison cell with his name on it," Ranger said, smiling.

I knew he could probably arrange something like that, so I didn't return his smile."No."

"You're no fun, Babe."

"Maybe Dickie," I said,"but not Joe."

"If you change your mind ..."

"I won't," I told him. I was pretty sure I wouldn't, but it was always nice to know your options.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Ranger asked me.

"Not much to say," I told him."He's still an ass, but I think there's hope for him."

"You think so?"

I sighed again."Maybe. I don't want to talk about him anymore. What are you doing up here? I thought you'd still be in your office downstairs."

"I was in the control room when you pulled up," Ranger said."I thought you looked upset when you walked to the elevator and I wanted to know what was wrong."

This was the major difference between being in a relationship with Ranger verses being in one with Joe. The only way I could get Joe to listen to my feelings about something was if we were already in bed at the time, or if I promised that we'd be on our way to bed afterwards. Ranger, on the other hand, wanted to know everything that I was thinking before I even had my thoughts figured out.

"Do you have to go back down to five?" I asked.

"Looks like it'll be an early night."

"Really?" I said, sliding my arms around his neck."What can we do to celebrate a night to ourselves?"

"Spend time together?" Ranger said.

"In the bedroom?" I asked.

"Bedroom, bathroom, kitchen. Wherever you want, Babe."

"Good," I said, pulling away from him, smiling."Let's hit the kitchen. I'm _starving_."

I didn't get too far. Ranger's hand landed on my shoulder, stopping me. He leaned in close to me, his warm breath tickling my ear.

"We'll deal with your _hunger_, Babe," he whispered,"and then we'll take care of _mine_." His hand slid down my back all the way to my ass as he walked past me to the kitchen.

"Damn," I said, following quickly behind him. My stomach now not the only thing that needed immediate attention. Maybe I could convince Ranger to let me grab something quick from the fridge and just combine the two.

_**Author's note: I hadn't planned on Joe being in this chapter, too, but I figured that once both Ranger and Stephanie have said what they needed to, he'd be able to sit out the next few. I wouldn't want Joe to overstay his welcome or anything. **_


	9. Chapter 9

**I was trying to decide what this chapter should be about and the idea of the Rangeman men giving their opinion about Ranger and Stephanie as people, as well as a couple, came to me and I wanted to see if I'd be able to make it work as part of this story. I hope that I've succeeded. Although I used Tank to tell it, this really is a collective Rangeman point of view. All characters belong to Janet. Any mistakes are mine. Warnings for language.**

**Tank's POV**

It was a rare Friday night when the closest of the men all had the night off, so we decided to celebrate with pizza and beer at Shorty's.

Bobby, Hal, Lester, and I were the first ones there. We were sitting in a large both towards the back of the building, a large pizza and pitcher of beer already half gone in front of us.

"So do you think the boss and Stephanie are gonna last?" Lester asked.

"Are you fuckin' kidding me?" Bobby said."Of course they're gonna last. They've been hot for each other ever since they met."

"She stayed with Morelli, though," Lester pointed out.

"Can you blame her?" Bobby asked."Ranger doesn't have the kind of lifestyle that women are overly fond of. We're trained not to show emotion, not to share what we're feeling, and to keep our thoughts to ourselves. Most women would walk when faced with that. But Stephanie's stronger than she looks and didn't give up on Ranger, even when it would have been easier for her if she had."

"She_ is _special," Lester said."I hope Ranger realizes how lucky he is."

"He does," I said."Ranger's like a brother to me. And like I told Steph, she's the only person I've seen who has made Ranger question his motives and actions. Best thing that ever happened to him, in my opinion. She's made him start feeling again. And he's finally put his happiness, and Stephanie's as a result, before anything else. I never thought it would happen, but I'm damn glad that it has."

"Do you think he'll marry her?" Lester asked.

"Don't know. Ranger hasn't said anything to me about it, but I'm betting he would if that's what she wants. But I do think it's safe to say that Stephanie will be moving into Rangeman soon if Ranger has his way."

"Seems like _Rex_ has already moved in," Bobby said."He was here the day after Stephanie's car bit the dust. And you know what they say, wherever a woman's hamster goes ... the woman is sure to follow. Rex has even made it down to the control room a couple of times."

"What're you guys talking about?" Cal asked, pulling one of the small tables next to our booth.

"Ranger and Stephanie," Hal told him.

"Things look serious," Cal said to me.

"As serious as it gets," I said to him.

"Are we thinking there's going to be a wedding in Rangeman's future?" Cal asked."Maybe a kid or two for us to spoil the hell out of."

"That's what Santos just asked me and I'll give you the same answer I gave him, Ranger hasn't discussed his plans with me," I told Cal."But if he was going to do the family thing, Stephanie would be the only one he'd do it with."

"Don't blame him there," Lester said."I don't plan on settling down anytime soon, but when I do I want a woman like Steph."

"Ditto," Bobby said.

"You'd better not let Ranger hear you say anything like that," I warned them."He doesn't want_ anyone _looking at Stephanie the same way he does. Nevermind some of his own men." Ranger has always been protective of Stephanie, but _protective_ doesn't come close to describing what he's like now.

"If Ranger wasn't so scary," Hal said,"that could be a problem."

No surprise there. Hal has had a crush on Stephanie ever since she zapped him with his own stun gun. They say the way to a man's heart is through his stomach. Apparently, the way to Hal's heart was through a couple of volts to the arm. Something he still got his balls busted over. Well deserved in my opinion. Even the greenest recruit knows never to hand over your weapon.

"Good thing for you Ranger doesn't consider you more than a blonde dot on the Rangeman map or your ass would have been handed to you long ago," Lester said to Hal."Ranger knows all about the never-going-to-happen thing you have for Stephanie."

All the color disappeared from Hal's face. It was a nice change. Usually Hal turned five shades of red when Stephanie's name was mentioned. If he wasn't ultimately a professional, I would never have sent him out with Stephanie, fearing that nerves and sweat would get the better of him, but he's shown that his training can override his hormones. If it hadn't, Lester would be correct in saying that Ranger would have fired him two seconds after Stephanie stunned him.

Ranger is a savvy businessman, but what sets him apart is that he gives people a chance to prove themselves. Whereas another type of boss would have just fired Hal, or passed on him in the first place, never bothering to see what he could really do. Ranger has the ability to size-up people in the blink of an eye, and immediately know their strengths and weaknesses. I always wondered what went through Ranger's mind when he first laid eyes on Stephanie Plum. Whatever it was must have been damn strong, because to say that she had altered his universe wouldn't be an exaggeration.

I had to admit that when I first met Stephanie, I thought, sure she was pretty, but I didn't exactly know what held Ranger's attention. After all, Ranger could have anybody he wanted. But after that first job I'd worked with Stephanie when I was knocked out and woke up in the hospital, to the Cone kidnapping, and the way she single-handedly solved the Barroni murder while almost getting killed herself in the process, I started to see what drew Ranger to her. Stephanie was beautiful, brave, and loyal some would say to a fault. And after everything she'd been through, she still maintained an innocence about her. Like she wasn't going to let anyone screw with what she believed in. And Ranger was lucky enough to be one of those things she believed whole-heartedly in. Even when she was too scared to do anything about it. While I wasn't happy about someone torching her car, almost killing her in the process, I didn't want to think about how long it would have taken them to admit that they belonged to each other. I now consider Stephanie as much of a friend as I do Ranger. Maybe in a different way, but she's earned every bit of support I could offer her.

Ranger has watched friends die under his command. He's been beaten and shot more times than a man should and survive, and has dedicated his life to serving the city he lives in and our country. And being one of the few people that were fortunate enough to call Ranger a friend, I could see the difference in the way he was before he met Stephanie, and after. And one thing I'm certain of is that if anything ever happened to Stephanie, and she was taken away from him, Ranger would never get over it. It would be loss that would be insurmountable to him. And I now believe the same could be said about Stephanie's feelings for Ranger.

When Ranger had to 'disappear' during the Ramos murder investigation, the two of them still couldn't stay away from each other, even when there was more on the line than just their feelings at the time. Ranger never let emotion enter a case, but when he heard that Stephanie was being targeted and threatened to get to him, he never hesitated in choosing her over his own safety. Of course to hear Ranger tell it, he wasn't ever in danger of being discovered. The Ramos family wasn't a family to be underestimated, but that never entered Ranger's mind as long as he knew Stephanie needed him.

In this fucked-up world we live in fairy tales were nothing but stories told to unsuspecting children, but what Ranger and Stephanie have found together was the closest thing to one as far as I could see. Sure, they both fought against it. Ranger by thinking he could control his feelings for Steph like he's controlled everything else in his life. And Stephanie by trying to make a relationship with the cop work long after it should have been pronounced dead. But anybody who witnessed the two of them sharing airspace could clearly see that it was only a matter of time until they collided. And after the night of the fire, boy did they collide. And everyone around them felt the aftershocks. Could still feel the aftershocks.

"Hey!" Lester said."The last time you were this unresponsive, you were hit in the leg while we were in Colombia and almost bled out. If Ranger hadn't of been there, we'd be having this pizza in the boneyard instead of at Shorty's."

"I was just thinking about how different things are now," I said to Santos.

"Are you talking about us, Rangeman, or Ranger in general?"

"All of it, I guess."

"Yeah, who knew one woman had the power to shake everything up," Lester said to me.

"In a positive way," Bobby said.

"Isn't that what I said?"

"No."

"I implied it," Lester told Bobby.

If the pizza and beer wasn't so good here, and I wasn't stuck having to give them a ride home, I might have chose to make it early night. I forgot that dealing with these idiots after hours sometimes should be avoided.

"After everything Ranger's been through he deserves to have a happy ending," I said to them, trying to lengthen their attention spans.

"No shit," Lester said."He's had responsibility heaped on him since he turned fifteen and was sent to live with his grandmother. He's been busting his ass to better himself ever since."

"I think it would have been safe for him to stop years ago," Bobby said."He's already proven himself ten times over."

"It's not in him to," I said."That's why Stephanie is so important to him. She's the only one to get him to see anything beyond the job."

"I don't know how she does it," Bobby said.

"I know," Lester said, smirk in place.

"Shut it, Santos," I barked at him."It's more than sex, and you know it."

"Yeah," he said."But sex helps."

"Do you ever stop being an asshole?" Bobby asked him.

"Not if I can help it."

No one looked ready to leave yet, so I ordered another round of beer and more pizza and we settled in for the night. Good thing we were on good terms with Shorty otherwise we'd have been booted out a half hour ago.

"What'd we miss?" Vince asked coming in with Junior and pulling two chairs up to Cal's table.

"You just get off shift?" I asked them. They were coming in an hour behind us.

"Yeah," Junior said, sitting down next to Vince."Break in on Willow Street. Once those fuckers heard someone moving around upstairs they tried to run."

"You get them?" I asked.

"Hell, yeah," he said."Two kids nearly pissed themselves when they got a look at us."

"Looking for drug money?" Hal asked.

"Looks like," Junior said.

"They smashed the window out of the back door," Vince added."The were either too stupid, or too high, to read the _Protected By Rangeman _sign by the door."

"This world's going to shit," I said to the room at large."In my day, we would have gotten our asses beat by our parents instead of the police getting involved."

"The good old days," Lester said.

"If I even looked at drugs," Hal said to us,"my father would have hand delivered my behind to the military and let them straighten me out."

"And you ended up surrounded by military men, anyway," Bobby said.

"Just hearing stories of what you all have been through would have made me kick the habit if I'd ever picked it up," Hal said to Bobby."You guys have seen some scary shit."

"Some of us are still seeing it," Lester said."But what Ranger has set up here for guys like us has helped. We can still get our adrenaline rushes, but without almost getting our heads blown off in the process."

"Don't kid yourself, Santos," I said to him, but was really addressing everyone."There's always a chance of getting your head blown off on the job. Don't get sloppy and let down your guard now."

"I'd sooner shoot myself than let a teenage crackhead do it for me," he said."I just meant that this is the safest job we've had since we turned eighteen."

"Can't argue with you there," I said to him. We've been in some of the most God forsaken places during our time in the military, and I had to admit sleeping on a bed in Trenton, New Jersey was like sleeping in a five star hotel compared to the jungles and deserts we'd been left to die in.

"And we have each other here," Cal said."If the flashbacks get to be too much, there's always something to do to take our minds off of them, or someone awake to talk to that pushes the memories back into the past where they belong."

"I had one of those nights not too long ago," Bobby said."Steph caught me wailing on one of the bags in the gym."

"Really?" Lester asked."What was she doing in the gym?"

Everyone knew that Stephanie avoided the gym unless Ranger was in it with her.

"She'd just gotten back to Rangeman," Bobby continued,"and didn't know that Ranger had been called out, so she was checking the gym for him. I tried to convince her that nothing was going on and that I was fine, but you know Steph ..."

"Yeah," I said,"she wouldn't buy that for a second. She thinks we all have ESP, but she's got some kind of internal barometer used to sense the feelings of the people around her."

"She made me sit down there on the mats and tell her what was wrong," Bobby said."I couldn't tell her everything that had happened, but I didn't need to. She just let me say whatever I could, while keeping her arm around me for support. Ten minutes tops, and I was back to joking around with her about being in the gym and still not working out. I still don't know how she managed it."

"She was with me when my parents called telling me that my grandmother had passed away," Hal said, quietly."She told Ranger that I needed time off before I even thought to ask."

"She's like that," Vince said."She cares more about the people around her than she does about herself."

"That's where Ranger comes in," I said."He can get her to slow down even when she's got a full head of steam worked up about something."

"I went out with Steph last week to catch a FTA for Vinnie," Cal said."It didn't go as planned and I had to step in and knock the guy out. Steph was just as mad at me as she was at the skip. She wanted to be the one to nail the asshole. And she would have, too, if Ranger had been there, but I wasn't going to take the chance of something happening to her so I took the guy out. I called Ranger to explain what happened, hoping he didn't stick me with monitor duty for interfering, but he only asked me to put Steph on the phone. I handed it to her and, I swear to God, the minute she heard his voice her whole body language changed. I wasn't scared of having my balls served to me for dinner anymore."

"Yeah," Lester said,"it would be disgusting to see if it was anybody but the two of them."

"You would say that," Bobby said to him."You just can't appreciate a beautiful thing."

"You're getting soft in your old age," Lester said back.

I must be hanging around Steph too much because I had to stop my eyes in mid roll. I sometimes felt like I was watching a bunch of kindergartners.

"Wait until you find a woman that will put up with _your_ sorry behind," I said to Lester."The whole building will be lined up to rake your ass over the coals."

"I don't have to worry about that," he said,"because it's never going to happen. There's too many women in the world that have yet to experience the magic of Lester Santos."

Junior almost lost a mouthful of beer. And I saw Hal roll his eyes. Looks like I wasn't the only one hanging out with Stephanie.

"Don't make me lose what I've eaten," Cal said."Shorty's pizza is too good to waste on the crap your deluded ass comes up with."

"Sounds like someone at this table is jealous," Lester said.

"Hate to break it to you, Santos," Junior said,"but the only man that we're jealous of is Ranger."

I cut my eyes to him."Explain."

"What needs to be explained?" Vince asked."Ranger's successful. He's rich. He has a reputation that can't be touched. And he has badass cars _and_ a woman like Stephanie. Do I need to go on?"

"Please don't," Bobby said."Or we may have to switch from beer to tequila."

"You're not allowed to get drunk," I said to the whole fuckin' bunch of them."Remember that. Ranger will have your ass, as well as your resignation, if he catches any of you drunk."

"We know," Hal said.

"Yeah," Junior said,"facing Ranger when he's angry is a good motivator for staying sober."

"AA should have Ranger on speed dial," Lester said.

I remembered the time that I got trashed after I found out I was sort of engaged to Lula. I may be Ranger's best friend, but he had me scared there for a minute. Needless to say, I sobered up quickly.

"Did you save any for us?" Ram asked, slapping Vince's head to get him to relinquish his chair.

Vince dragged another table over and sat down, Woody taking a chair next to him.

"If you would've gotten here ten minutes from now," Lester said to them,"there wouldn't be anything left. You snooze, you lose."

I took a look around at the men who had gathered here."Is there anyone left at Rangeman?" I asked Woody.

"Yes," he said."Ramon and Raphael are on monitors. Zero and Manuel are out on patrol. And Binkie and Hector were coming in as we were leaving."

"Poor guys," Lester said."After one more beer, I may feel sorry for them."

"No more, Santos," I said to him.

"I only had two," he said in a voice that was close to whining.

"And that's all you're gonna have."

"All right,_ Mom_," he said to me.

He always was a cocky bastard. There were some things that even time couldn't change.

"Just remember, I don't need Ranger's permission to kick your ass into next week."

"True, you don't," he said."But I'll tell Stephanie on you. She has a soft spot for me."

"She also knows that you can be a prick," I said to him."And that if I _did_ kick your ass, I had a damn good reason."

"You really know how to suck the fun out of everything, don't you?" Lester said to me.

"It's my life's work."

Despite having to threaten them once in while to keep them in line, the men who work at Rangeman were a good group of guys. And when you got past Santos' ego, he was mostly okay, too. Ranger had chosen each one of these men for a specific reason, most of the time without me knowing what the hell that reason was. But the men we have on the payroll now work extremely well together. There haven't been any fights over women. Probably, like Lester said, because they were all to some degree in love with Stephanie. I guess no woman that they've met so far could compete with the pedestal they've put Stephanie on, so there wasn't anyone to seriously fight over. There haven't been any personality clashes, either. The guys were able to separate the job from anything else going on in their lives. And tonight just proved that they liked hanging around together even when they weren't being paid to.

Ranger didn't play favorites. And I bet that also helped the climate at Rangeman. Bobby, Lester, and I were closer to him than the others, but he didn't treat us differently when it came to our jobs. If we screwed up, we were going to pay for it right along with everybody else. Friend or not. Ranger was the head of our company and what he says goes, but he wasn't the type to lord it over us. He respected the guys who worked for him and they respected him in return. Unless Stephanie was involved, Ranger didn't make a point of acting like '_The Boss_.' We knew he was, and followed him accordingly, and that seemed to be all that Ranger needed.

"_Tank_," Lester said."You're doing it again. What the fuck is wrong with you? You just missed one of my fuckingly brilliant one-liners."

Maybe _I _was getting soft in my old age. Seeing Ranger settling down and happy has started me thinking about my own life. Like Lester, I wasn't ready for marriage and kids yet, but the idea of it wasn't off the table anymore.

"Trust me," I said to Lester."Whatever I was thinking was more important than anything that came out of your mouth."

Lester laughed, never one to be serious for an extended length of time.

"You wish," he shot back.

He surprised me when he spoke again a few minutes later.

"You thinking about Ranger and Stephanie again?" He asked me.

"Yes."

"Why so much tonight?" Bobby asked.

"I saw them walking into the building today," I said to them,"and it was like there was nothing but the two of them left in the world."

"They were all over each other, right?" Santos said.

"No. It was like they were having a conversation with each other without having to say anything out loud," I said, replaying what I saw in my mind."Ranger had his arm around Stephanie and she was looking up into his face. And they just stayed like that for a few minutes without speaking. Then Steph smiled and kissed him before they walked the rest of the way into the building. They didn't even notice that I was in the garage with them. And it got me thinking about what it would be like to have that kind of relationship with someone."

"Whoa," Bobby said."That's deep, man."

"Yeah, Tank," Lester said to me."When did you become such a chick?"

"I try to pencil in a deep thought or two once every five years," I said to Bobby."Can you honestly tell me that you haven't thought about what it'd be like to have what Ranger and Stephanie have?" I asked Lester.

"I've thought about having Stephanie," Lester said.

"Santos, if you don't shut the fuck up, I'm going to kick your ass instead of Tank," Junior said.

"And I'll help," Woody said."Stephanie's not like your typical bar hookup."

"There's nothing typical about Stephanie Plum," Lester said."And that's what makes everyone here want her. Except for maybe Hector. I'm not disrespecting her, either. I agree that she's amazing, but I'm not willing to ignore the way she looks just because she's off limits."

We all warned him. If he wanted to run the risk of angering Ranger then so be it.

"I always knew you were dumber than you looked," Vince said."I've seen hardened criminals, fucked up gang leaders, and soldiers who've lived through years of combat, all cry when Ranger went after them. And _you're_ going to pull the tiger's tail?"

"Fuck no," Lester said to him."I'm not suicidal. I said I wasn't going to ignore how hot Stephanie is, but I'm sure as hell not going to say anything about her in front of Ranger."

Guess that proves that he isn't completely out of his mind, I thought.

"You'd better not say anything around us, either," Ram said to Lester,"or they'll be nothing left of you for Ranger to beat on."

"I'm with Ram on this," Hal said."I don't like you talking about Stephanie the way you do."

"Don't you get tired of being a Boyscout, Hal?" Santos asked him.

"No," Hal said."And I don't have people threatening to kill me every other minute. Maybe that tells you something."

"I'll say it again," Lester said,"you're all just jealous of me."

"There's really is no end to your delusions, is there?" I asked him.

"Nope."

"Stephanie's doing well with her new position at Rangeman, isn't she?" Bobby asked me, giving Lester some time to climb out of the hole he'd dug for himself.

"Yes," I said to him.

"I didn't doubt her for a minute," Cal said."She's the only one who doubts her abilities."

"That's essentially what Ranger and I told her. She just needed the opportunity to show what she can do."

"Ranger better watch out," Woody said,"she may be after his job soon."

I smiled thinking about Stephanie's view of Ranger's schedule."Not likely," I said."She may enjoy working for Rangeman, but she isn't willing to sign her life over to it."

"I knew she was a smart woman," Bobby said."If Ranger wasn't Ranger, he wouldn't be able to accomplish everything he does in a day. Catching skips, calming clients down after a break in, endless paperwork, and keeping everyone in four buildings happy. And he manages to still do all of it while taking nights off to be with Steph."

"I've heard Stephanie refer to him as Batman a few times," Hal said,"there may be some Superman mixed into him, too. I know I couldn't do everything he does."

"That's because you're an underachiever," Lester said to him.

"Leave Hal alone, Santos," I told Lester."It's not like you could ever hope to fill Ranger's shoes."

"Didn't say I could, but I know I could fill them better than Hal."

"Really, Hal," Junior said to him,"unless you shut Santos up once and for all, he's never going to leave you alone."

Yep, the kindergarteners just moved to the playground. And I'm lucky enough to be the only adult on the premises.

"Seriously, Santos," I said,"knock it off before Hal listens to Junior." Hal wasn't a violent guy, but I knew that every man had a breaking point and I didn't want my night ruined if Hal had reached his.

"Hal knows that I don't mean anything by it," Lester said."We're good, right Hal?"

"Yeah," Hal said to him."But keep in mind that I don't have to hit you to keep you off my back."

"What do you mean?" Lester asked him.

"I can just tell Ranger some of the comments you've made about Stephanie and let him give you a beat down for me."

"That's cold, Hal," Bobby said to him.

"Yeah," Vince said,"but smart."

I knew Ranger wouldn't just beat on Santos, he'd disembowel him, even knowing that Lester cared for Stephanie and would give his life in order to protect her. I was surprised that Morelli got away with his body intact. But I'd bet anything that Stephanie had something to do with that. Joe may have been given a free pass, probably because she'd want to deal with Morelli herself, but I didn't think Lester would warrant a stay of execution.

"Can I get you another beer?" Lester asked, correct in assuming that Hal wasn't bluffing."Maybe more pizza?"

"Way to go, Hal," Bobby said."You can get Lester to do anything you want now. Come to think of it, so can we."

"How about taking my shift this weekend?" Junior asked.

"And how about watching monitors for me next week," Ram said."There's a game I want to go to."

"How about you all just keep your traps shut," I said to them. It wouldn't be good to let this get out of hand."You know Ranger would want to know why he wasn't informed about this sooner and he'd end up whipping all your asses, and I don't have the time to hire men to replace you."

"Shit," Bobby said.

"Exactly," I said to him."Now I say it's time to call it a night, since I have to drop you morons back at Rangeman before heading home."

I paid the bill while Ram finished off the pizza and Woody polished off the remainder of beer. We left Shorty's and climbed into our respective vehicles. I had Hal, Lester, and Bobby, riding with me and Cal,Vince, and Woody all following behind us. Our collective black vehicles looking a little like an FBI convoy.

Fifteen minutes later, the men were pouring out of their Rangeman SUV's. While waiting for the guys to climb out, I happened to see Ranger and Stephanie getting out of Ranger's Porsche. I turned the engine off, angled out from behind the wheel, and walked over with Bobby and Lester to see what was up. Hal chose to blend into the group of men heading upstairs instead of coming with us. He was comfortable with Stephanie, but _Ranger_ not so much. I figured something must have happened, because Ranger and Stephanie were usually content to just stay holed up in Ranger's apartment after work. I saw Stephanie wave to the guys as they hit the stairs after giving her a quick wave back.

"Where were you guys?" Steph asked me, when we reached them.

Ranger's arm was draped across Stephanie's shoulders and both of Stephanie's arms were wrapped securely around Ranger's waist. It was good to see Steph finally comfortable in her place at Rangeman, and in her new role as Ranger's _woman_. Once again, I found myself thinking what a lucky bastard he was.

"I could ask you two the same question," I said to her."Usually you're all tucked in by 7:30."

She laughed.

"Dinner at your parents?" Bobby asked her.

"I wish," Stephanie said to him.

"It seems Grandma Mazur disappeared for the day," Ranger said to us."When she still wasn't home by nine, Stephanie's mother wanted reinforcements."

"To catch her, or to lock her up?" Lester asked.

"Both, I think," Stephanie said.

"Did you find her?" I asked.

"Yep," Stephanie said, smiling."She went on one of those party buses. You know the ones where they cram a bunch of people onto a bus with the sole purpose of them all getting hammered while a driver wastes a tank of gas circling the city. The woman she plays bingo with thought it would be fun to rent one for the night. My Grandma Mazur knew my mother wouldn't let her go, so she said that she was attending one of those marathon bingo games and wouldn't be home for dinner."

"She wasn't exactly lying, Babe," Ranger said to her."Your grandmother said she won twenty bucks playing bingo while they were on the bus."

"Tell that to my mother," she said to him."She's going to ground Grandma Mazur for at least a month."

"You can't ground your own mother," Bobby said.

"My mother can," she said."And she will. Unfortunately for her, my grandmother is better at sneaking out of the house than I ever was."

"You do know that your family isn't normal, don't you?" Lester said to her.

"I've known since I was four," she said."At least, that's when I realized that_ I _wasn't normal."

"We're all glad that you turned out the way you have. And we're not about to let anyone bad-mouth you," I said to her, but looked at Santos when I said it to get my point across,"even if _you're _the onedoing the bad-mouthing."

I saw Ranger tighten his arm around her. I didn't know if it was an unconscious gesture on his part, or if he was telling her something with the subtle movement. With these two it was hard to tell. She turned her head and gave Ranger a smile before getting back to her earlier question.

"So where did you go tonight?" She asked again."Am I right in assuming that all of you pulling in here at the same time wasn't a coincidence?"

"We went to Shorty's for pizza," I told her.

"And you didn't invite me?"

"Sorry, Steph," Lester said to her."Guy's night."

"Ranger's a guy," she said."Why wasn't he invited?"

"I'm sure given the choice, Steph, he'd rather spend the night with you than with us," Bobby said.

"I don't want to get in the way if you guys had plans," she said to us.

"You are _never_ in the way, Babe," Ranger said to her, brushing his thumb over her lips."When a group of men have the night off they sometimes get together to wind down before going home."

"You know you can join them, Ranger," Steph said to him."I don't expect you to spend every free minute you have with me."

"I'd rather spend every minute I have with you, Steph," he said to her."And the guys understand that."

"Yeah, we do," I said."We spent the night drinking beer and eating pizza. Nothing exciting. You didn't miss much."

"Except the pizza," she said.

"We'll make it up to you," Lester said."Next time we'll be sure to grab you on our way out."

"I'm always ready to go to Shorty's," she said to us,"now that I know I won't be murdered over a slice of pepperoni."

"Don't worry, Steph," I said to her."Nobody's going to murder you on our watch."

"Thanks, Tank," she said."So tell me, what do you guys talk about when your hanging out? Aside from Lester, you aren't exactly a chatty group."

"The usual," Lester said, not in the least offended at being called _chatty_.

"Which is?"

"Work mostly," Bobby said."You know, trading war stories."

"And probably discussing women that you're interested in, right?"

"You have no idea, Steph," I said to her.

"Come on, Babe," Ranger said to her,"let's let the men get some sleep. Tomorrow's a full day and they only have," Ranger lifted his arm from Stephanie to check his watch,"six hours until daylight."

Stephanie looked up at him."Okay. I'm about ready for bed myself," she said, making Ranger's lips tilt up."Bye, guys," she said to us."See you in the morning."

Ranger pressed the button to seven and Steph gave us a finger wave before the elevator doors closed.

"I see what you mean, Tank," Bobby said."It would be nice to be on the receiving end of _that_ look."

"They do make you believe that it's possible," I said to Bobby.

"We're turning into a bunch of pussies," Lester said,"hanging around discussing our love lives."

"You're just bitching because you don't have anything to add to the discussion," Bobby said.

"What are you talking about?" Lester asked."I've had more women in a year than most guys have in a lifetime."

"That has nothing to do with love," I said."And you'll never have someone like Stephanie if you think it does."

"Never said anything about love."

"Someday, Lester," I said to him,"you're going to see that, at the end of the day, nothing else is worth shit if you don't have someone that cares whether you live or die at the end of it. I'm heading out."

I walked back to my car and slid behind the wheel. I thought about what I had just said to Lester. I'd said it mostly to shut Santos up, but I now saw that I'd meant it. What the fuck was the point of spending your entire life fighting to stay alive; in bars, in jungles, on Stark Street, if you were just going to waste what you've been protecting by focusing solely on the job? After watching Ranger and Stephanie finally come together, and how they seem whole because of it, I knew that my life would never be complete until I was sitting across the breakfast table from the other half of me.


	10. Chapter 10

**I finally have a story with ten whole chapters! It probably would have happened a lot sooner if I edited some of my other stories more and forced myself to write shorter chapters for them, but I'm enjoying the fact that the story that wasn't supposed to be longer than one chapter made it all the way up to ten. So thank you to everyone who has stuck with After The Night from the very beginning and encouraged me to add to it. Anything familiar belongs to Janet. Any mistakes are mine.**

**Ranger's POV**

"Do you think the guys were acting strange just now?" Steph asked me after we left Tank, Bobby, and Lester, downstairs and were back inside my apartment.

Stephanie's grandmother was secured for the night and I was looking forward to having Stephanie's body lying next to, under, and on top of, me for the remainder of it. I knew the men had gone to Shorty's and I have a feeling Stephanie and I were the main topic of conversation there, but I trusted Tank to make sure nothing or no one got out of hand. You couldn't tell by looking at him, but as I studied Tank while we talked in the garage, he seemed more subdued than he should have been after a night out. I'd ask tomorrow if something had gone on, because I didn't want to have beat anyone's ass tonight.

"You mean there's a difference, Babe?" I asked her.

She rolled her eyes at me. I don't think I'll ever get tired of seeing her do that, even if I was the target the eyeroll was aimed at.

"I'll admit that they are a_ unique _group," she said,"but they seemed a little oddtonight."

"That's what alcohol and refined carbohydrates will do to you, Steph," I told her."Why do you think I'm always trying to keep you away from them?"

That earned me a second eyeroll.

"Keep me away from the men?" She asked."Or the carbs?"

"The carbs, Babe."

"I suppose the carb thing could be true for _them,_ because their bodies aren't conditioned to process it since you won't let them eat anything that qualifies as _real_ food," she said."But I know _I _perform better_ after _pizza and beer."

"You're right, Babe, you do perform well," I said, watching with interest as her face flushed and a subtle shiver ran through her. Just seeing how responsive she was to only my words was enough to push my control to it's limit. I'm a man who prides himself on his control, but in this case I welcomed the thought of losing it.

"What?" She asked."You're staring at me."

"I was just thinking that since your grandmother had such an enjoyable evening at the expense of everyone else's piece of mind," I said to her,"it seems only fair that her granddaughter has one, too."

"Oh, yeah?" She asked, taking a step closer."And you're going to provide one for me?"

She looked up at me, curled her hand along my jaw, and traced my lips with her thumb. One small touch and I was ready to take her right there on the hall carpet.

"I can give you that and a lot more, Babe."

"You already have, Ranger. Every day that I've known you." And she kissed me.

I pulled her flat against me, but let her take the lead. Steph wasn't shy anymore about touching me in front of my men, or even other people. And it still amazed me when she made the first move like this. It's been a long time in the making.

She pulled back just far enough to speak."Time to put your money where your mouth is, Batman," she whispered against my mouth.

I slid my hands down her hips and cupped her ass."Don't worry, Steph," I said, using my new handhold to lift her up."You won't have any complaints about where I put my mouth."

She wrapped her legs around my waist."I never do."

I carried her to the bedroom and spent the next hour showing her just _how_ _many_ places on her body my mouth enjoyed.

Steph was lying with her head on my shoulder and her leg thrown over mine. Our hands were laced together on my chest. It was well after midnight, but neither one of us was ready for sleep. Now seemed like a good time to bring up what I've been thinking a lot more about lately.

"You're happy here right, Babe?"

She picked her head up and looked at me."Of course I am, Ranger," she said."You're here. Ella's here. And if I feel like bossing someone around, Lester's downstairs ready for anything I can dish out. Why? You thinking of kicking me out?"

"Just the opposite, Steph," I told her."What do you think about moving in here?"

"Didn't I already do that?" She asked me."Most of my clothes are here. Rex is in your kitchen. My hair products threaten to take over your bathroom daily."

I knew that if Ella wasn't vigilant in keeping all of Stephanie's things contained, the bathroom would resemble a crime scene photo by the end of the day.

"I mean completely moving in," I said to her."Giving up your apartment, changing your mailing address, and telling your mother that we're living together."

"Ranger, she knows we're living together," Steph said."Even_ my _mother can only deny things for so long before she has to give up and accept them."

"Babe, your mother isn't the reason I'm asking."

"I know. I'm just surprised that you're bringing this up," she said."I didn't think you'd be the one to want to categorize our relationship."

"Does that mean you haven't thought about making Rangeman your home?" I asked.

"It's _been_ my home for a while now."

"But you still have things in your apartment."

"Yeah," she said to me,"my crappy cast off furniture and the clothes I only wear when I have to do laundry. You have better furniture, and Ella always makes sure that I have clean clothes, so both of those things aren't important."

"Just give it some thought," I told her.

"Okay." She studied me for a long moment."You really want me here, don't you?"

"Yes," I said to her."Has there been any doubt?"

"Nope. But I like hearing you say it."

I eased her head back down on my shoulder."Come on, Babe, get some sleep and we can talk more about it later."

She stifled a yawn and pressed a kiss to the underside of my jaw."Go to sleep, too," she whispered. And three seconds later, I felt her breathing even out.

I smiled into the dark room. Combine multiple orgasms and a potentially serious conversation and Stephanie was dead to the world. I kissed the top of her head and allowed my body to start relaxing enough for sleep. I felt we'd made progress tonight and that I was one step closer to getting Stephanie into my building for both our sakes. I knew I'd like having her here, but I didn't realize how empty the place would feel when she wasn't in it. Or how empty_ I _would feel when she wasn't in my arms at night. Business trips were getting shorter do to the fact that I had a harder time sleeping without her weight against me. Lack of sleep wasn't something I've had to worry about since I stopped taking jobs that no one else would touch for the government, spending more time overseas than I spent at home. I don't regret those years, but I have no desire to revisit, or repeat, them.

Steph shifted, drawing my attention back where it belonged, and I tightened my arm around her. I closed my eyes and finally let myself drift off to sleep thinking about how holding her as she slept was infinitely better than sitting in a chair in her apartment watching her do it from a distance.

I woke up to find that I had something besides the blanket covering my chest. Steph had moved in her sleep from my side to full length on top of me. I guess I got my wish, because she did end up next to, under, and on top of, me at various times during the night. I wrapped my arms around her and rolled us both to our sides. Steph muttered something I couldn't understand and her fingers clutched at my back, refusing to release me. If I didn't have to get up, I'd be enjoying this a lot more. As it was, I was having trouble remembering why I should be heading to the gym at all.

I brushed her hair back from her face and leaned forward to press a kiss to her mouth. I felt her lips smile against mine.

"Morning, Babe," I said to her."You have to let me go."

She smiled again."Never," she whispered in a voice that was still heavy with sleep.

I wasn't sure how awake she actually was, but it didn't make me any less pleased by her response.

"It's after five, Steph," I said to her."I have to go down to the gym before it gets too late."

"It's five o'clock, Ranger," she said."It would take three hours just to reach_ late_."

I smiled down at her.

"Fine," she said to me."If you think an elliptical machine is better than what I can give you, then go ahead."

"I'll come back up here for a complete rubdown afterwards," I told her.

"No, you can go ahead down to the torture chamber. I'm going back to sleep now like a normal person," she said."You had your chance and now you can kiss it goodbye."

"I'd rather kiss you." And I lowered my head to hers again. When I ended the kiss, I could see that her eyes were a little unfocused. And sleep had nothing to do with it.

"Well that took care of _my_ workout," she said. Steph held out her arm to me."I bet my pulse is racing and everything."

I curled my hand around hers and pressed my lips to the pulse point in her neck instead. She was right, it _was_ fast.

"I guess I can let you off the hook for this morning," I said to her.

"Good, because I wasn't moving anyway."

"I gathered that, Babe. I'll see you when I get back."

I changed into sweats and left Stephanie asleep in my bed. It was times like these that I questioned my desire to own a company in the first place.

Tank came into the gym forty-five minutes later while I was putting the weights I had used away.

"Percy has been seen at his ex-girlfriend's house," Tank told me."He's been making himself scarce when the roommate's around, but as soon as she leaves, he shows up ten minutes later. Guess no one wants her to see him after the last fight they had led to an emergency room visit for her."

"What time does the roommate leave?" I asked him. Percy wasn't a high-priority skip but if there was a chance to grab him, then they'll be one less asshole on the street tonight.

"Roommate has a class this afternoon at two," Tank said."Our source says that he's planning on spending the afternoon there."

"We'll head there right after we check out the building for Dobrosky," I told him."We should have plenty of time to meet with Renesas at 0900 and take care of Dobrosky before we have to pick up Percy."

I picked up the towel I'd brought with me and draped it over my shoulders."Did something go on last night that I need to be aware of?" I asked Tank.

"No," Tank said, but he hesitated with his answer just long enough for me to know that whatever was bothering him was personal, and had nothing to do with the men or Rangeman.

I gave him a barely perceptible nod. If he didn't want to talk about it, I couldn't force him. Well, I _could_ force him, but I'll choose not to right now."I'm going to hit the shower and then I'll meet you in the conference room."

"Tell Steph I said hi if she's up," Tank called out after me.

I raised my hand in acknowledgment. Everyone knew that Steph managed to get up before seven only two or three times a week. And usually only if I was with her. I unlocked the door and found Steph in the kitchen wearing my T-shirt and a guilty expression when she saw me standing there.

"Babe."

"What? I can't help it if Ella likes me better than you, and wants to make a special breakfast just for me," she said, while popping the last of what looked like a cinnamon roll into her mouth."I wouldn't want to hurt Ella's feelings by not eating what she brings me."

"Nice try, Steph," I said to her."You wouldn't get out of bed for me, but you'll do it for a cinnamon roll?" I couldn't get upset about it. I knew Stephanie's priorities long before I decided to get involved with her.

"It smelled good. And it tasted even better," she said, licking the last of the frosting off her fingers.

I walked over to her and lifted her fingers to my mouth. I swirled my tongue around her fingertip and heard her breath catch. I lowered her hand, bent my head, and kissed her.

"_You_ taste better," I whispered to her when I raised my head.

"Don't even think about it," she said."_You_ chose the gym over_ me _and you can't take it back now."

"I'll make it up to you tonight," I told her. It was hard to believe that in such a short time, I went from barely living in my apartment to hurrying back to it just because I knew Stephanie would be here. If a couple skips got handled roughly in my haste to get the job done sooner, then so be it.

"_Tonight_?" She repeated."Busy day?"

"Meeting at nine. Tank and I are doing a security walk-through for a client on Center Street after that," I told her."And then we have a capture set for two."

"So I really won't see you until tonight."

"If everything goes well," I said to her,"I should be done by four."

"Okay."

"What are your plans?"

"I have a few things I was going to get taken care of today," she said.

Not exactly the straight-forward answer I was looking for, but I didn't push it.

"I have to go over a few things with Tank before the meeting so I'll grab something to eat down there," I told her."I'm going to jump in the shower, want to join me?"

"I've been in a shower with you, Ranger, and you won't make it to your meeting in time if I join you. Let alone eat breakfast and see Tank before it."

I didn't think she'd go for it once she heard that my day was booked, but it never hurt to try. I could have made up the time somewhere. I kissed her again and headed to the bathroom.

She was still in the kitchen when I came back out dressed in my Rangeman uniform. Mr. Renesas was going to have to settle for a casual meeting today. I wasn't coming back to change before Tank and I headed out. Stephanie was worth the time it would take, Mr. Renesas wasn't.

"Woody or Hal will be available if you need help with something here, or use my cell if you want me specifically."

"You can call me, too, if you need something, Ranger," she said to me."Don't forget that. I may not be a superhero, but there are some things that I can help you with."

"There are a lot of things you can do for me, Babe," I told her."But as long as you're all right, I don't need anything else."

"Who knew there was a Sweet Ranger lurking under all the black clothes, scary expressions, and threats of bodily harm?"

I smiled at her. I've used all of those on her and they lasted about five minutes before she saw right through them.

"Don't knock it, Stephanie," I said to her."It works on everyone else I encounter. Just not on you."

"It did for a while," she said to me.

"Any chance the fear will return?" I asked. She knew I'd never hurt her, but it would make keeping her safe easier if she was worried at all about upsetting me.

"Nope," she said. And I could tell by her smile that whatever she was going to say next was going to be good. "If you make me at all nervous, I just use the old picture the person in their underwear trick and the nerves go away. Except I know you don't usually wear underwear, so I had to go with picturing you naked instead."

I gave her the smile that she claimed was dangerous and made her want me all the more.

"The _fear_ goes away, Babe, but I bet it's quickly replaced with something else."

Her eyes narrowed, probably not liking that I turned the tables so easily on her."It's not nice to use a person's feelings for you against them," she said to me.

"I wouldn't, Babe, but it's one of the few advantages I have over you," I said."And I need all the help I can get."

She said something suspiciously like _'yeah right' _under her breath and my smile grew.

"I've got to go," I told her, even though it was the last thing I wanted to do. Who knew playing with Stephanie was going to be one of my favorite things to do with her? But it makes sense since she's the only one I can do it with. No one but Tank and Stephanie know that I even have this side to my personality.

I kissed her until she plastered herself to me and then reluctantly let her go."You'll be here when I get back?" I asked before I could stop myself.

"Unless Connie needs a FTA picked up today," she said."And before you say anything, I promise to take Hal or Woody if I need to."

"That's all I ask, Babe." I picked up my gun and slid in into the shoulder holster my jacket would cover so I wouldn't scare off Renesas. I had another one at my ankle and a Glock hidden at the small of my back. I didn't expect to use any of them during the meeting, but you can never be too careful when you leave the building. Something I still remind Stephanie every day. But she's attracted less crazies since staying here. That was one more reason I wanted her out of her apartment. It was too easy to get to her there. Her locks could be picked by a child. And anybody could climb up her fire escape and straight into her bedroom. Not a thought I was comfortable with.

"Ranger?"

"Yeah, Babe?"

"You just got all quiet," she said."What's wrong?"

"Just trying to figure out a solution to a problem, Steph." Her being here wasn't a problem, but getting her to _want_ to stay here _was_.

"Can I help?"

"Maybe," I told her."We'll discuss it when I get back."

"Sure," she said, walking up to me."Please don't get shot today."

"I'll try," I told her. It was a possibility, although a small one, and I wasn't going to lie to her.

"Try _hard_," she said to me, raised up on her tiptoes, and kissed my mouth. It was a kiss that would be considered tame compared to the ones we normally shared, but it was sexy as hell because Stephanie was the one doing it.

She followed me as far as the front door and I looked over my shoulder just in time to watch her bare legs disappear behind it, mentally cursing Tank for scheduling a meeting for this morning. Lucky I was Batman and not Superman otherwise Steph could be considered _my_ kryptonite. My body stilled and I gave my head a disbelieving shake. I guess that proves just _how_ much more time I've been spending with Steph lately. Her comic book characters were entering into my thoughts without my permission.

I punched the button for five and waited for the elevator. One of the concerns I had about Steph and I being together was that anyone who wanted to get to me could use her to do it, because it was clear to everyone that nothing mattered to me as much she did. But since I got my head out of my ass and thought it all the way through, she was now almost always in a secure building, had twenty bodyguards on call at any given time, and trackers on any car she chose, so the chances diminished substantially of her being grabbed. It's only when she leaves for longer periods of time do I start feeling uneasy.

I took the elevator down two floors, got a yogurt and some fruit from the kitchen, and walked into the conference room trying to push Steph to the back of my mind. I wasn't entirely successful, but I could at least get through this meeting without picturing her in my T-shirt. Tank and I went over what we had learned about Mr. Renesas, and details on Percy's capture while we waited for Renesas to arrive.

He showed up on time, something I appreciated in a client, and the meeting lasted a little over an hour. The contracts were signed shortly after. By eleven Tank and I were on the road. We met our client, looked over the place he was thinking about buying, and then spent the next thirty minutes giving him a list of security options if he decided to purchase it. At one, we stopped for a sandwich on the way to Percy's girlfriend's house.

When we arrived, everything had started out fine. Percy showed up like we were told he would. We even got to him before he made it to the relative safety of the house. But things went to hell quickly after that. The stupid fucker panicked and tried to run. I don't know how he thought he'd get away from me or Tank, but he was ready to try. Three seconds later, I was slapping the cuffs on him.

I heard someone yell_ 'NO!' _from behind me and I instinctively stepped to the side, letting go of Percy. Tank had been on his way to the truck to open the back door for me and didn't reach the girlfriend in time to stop her. I felt pain in my shoulder and saw a dull blade continue on by me, finally landing in the upper part of Percy's back. Fuck. I saw a trip to Saint Francis in our near future. I knew I couldn't just drop him off at the cop shop in this condition, though it was tempting. Tank made it back to us in record time. He grabbed the woman's wrist and the knife dropped to the ground.

"Getting slow in your old age," I said to Tank, as I crouched down to where Percy had fallen, the knife still in his back.

"Whose the one that just got slashed by a knife anyone on our team would be embarrassed to own?" Tank said."Steph's gonna be _pissed_."

He didn't have to tell me that. Steph didn't like it when I had blood on me. Hated it even more when it was my own.

"Let's get these two locked up before she hears about it," I told him.

Tank got the first aid kit out of the truck and packed the wound around the knife to stem some of the blood flow. It wasn't life threatening, but Percy was acting like it was. Swearing and threatening to kill the girlfriend, whose name we learned was Amber, once he was patched up. Percy wasn't capable of running anywhere now, so while Tank was securing Amber in the backseat of the truck, I shrugged off my jacket and looked down at my arm. The gash was deeper than I would have liked, but it didn't look like I'd need stitches. I took out some of the gauze and tape from the kit and bandaged it as well as I could to stop the blood from flowing down my arm.

I helped Percy up and walked him to the back of the truck. Tank had shackled Amber so she wouldn't be able to move and we did the best we could with Percy. Tank drove us to Saint Francis, unloaded me and Percy, and continued on to the Trenton PD with Amber. I'd call the control room when I was closer to knowing when Percy would be discharged.

Over an hour later, my arm was cleaned and rebandaged and Percy was being looked at. When he was finally getting stitched up, I went outside to call the control room for a pickup. My phone buzzed just as I was about to dial. I looked at the screen and wasn't surprised to see who was calling. Stephanie.

"Babe."

"Are you okay?" She asked.

"I'm fine, Steph," I told her, not wanting her to worry more than I knew she already had.

"I was in the control room," she began,"and saw that your truck was parked at Saint Francis. You're sure you're all right?"

"I am," I said to her."The skip wasn't so lucky."

"Does he have you or Tank to thank for that?" She asked.

"Wasn't us this time, Babe. He's here courtesy of his girlfriend."

"Sounds like you have a good story to share when you get back," she said.

"One I think you'll enjoy," I told her.

"And where's the girlfriend now?" Steph asked."In a room next to his?"

"Tank took her to the station."

"And he left you there?"

"I didn't know how long this would take," I said."It was easier to take care of them one at a time."

"Do you want me to come get you?"

I wouldn't normally turn her down for any reason, but I didn't want her to see my arm until I was back at the apartment. Steph doesn't deal well with me being hurt, and I didn't want to have to re-admit Percy if Steph got to him, since she wouldn't be able to get her hands on Amber who was most likely behind bars now.

"Percy will be released shortly and I'm going to have to take him to the station," I said to her."I was just about to call the control room, but since you called first you can send Hal down here for us. I'll fill you in when I get back to Rangeman."

"Hurry back," she told me.

"I just have to sign some forms for him," I told her,"and then we should be out of here."

"I'll be on seven," she said. And she disconnected.

Looks like she _was_ picking up some of my habits after all. Just not the ones I would have liked.

I collected Percy and walked him out to where Hal was waiting for us by the ER doors. I loaded him up for what I hoped was the last time today and Hal drove us to the Trenton PD. Tank had already left by the time we got there, and I got Percy taken care of in record time. Now I just had to face Steph. She was not going to be happy that I didn't tell her about my wound on the phone, but I didn't want her imagining the worst in the time it took me to get back to her so she'd be able to see with her own eyes that I was fine.

Hal parked in the Rangeman lot and I took the elevator to the seventh floor.

The minute I stepped through the door, I knew Steph had learned something about what had happened.

"Tank?" I asked.

"Don't blame him," she told me."I knew something was off as soon as I got off the phone with you. But since I_ did _talk to you and you sounded like yourself, not in a lot of pain or anything, I figured whatever happened couldn't have been that bad and decided to wait to hear what went on from you. That lasted about five minutes and Tank, unfortunately, walked in right about the time I got tired of waiting."

Tank probably wished it had been busier at the station today.

"He didn't stand a chance, did he?" I asked Steph.

"Nope. Now stop stalling," she said."What the hell happened?"

I took off my jacket and her eyes went immediately to the bulge on my shoulder. It was a good thing my shirt was black so she couldn't see the blood that had soaked into it.

"I got swiped by a knife, Babe." I knew I was going to piss her off with that, but I couldn't help myself. She was beautiful when she was angry.

I felt the punch on my good shoulder. But I use the word_ punch _loosely. It was more of an attention getter.

I raised an eyebrow at her. Not a good move on my part, and I felt the smack again.

"Don't mess with me, Ranger," Steph warned.

I could see that she was upset about me not telling her about this sooner. And at the thought of me being injured. I knew that this was how Steph handled this kind of thing. She'd get angry about it first before she was ready to deal with what was really bothering her.

"I'm okay, Steph," I said to her."Look at me."

She pulled her eyes away from the bulge the bandage made under my shirt and looked up at me.

"I wasn't in any danger," I said to her.

"But you've got a hole in your shoulder."

"I got a whole hell of a lot more the day I turned seventeen," I told her.

She looked like she wanted to say something but stopped herself."No, forget it," she said."I don't want to know. How bad is it?"

"A small slice from a four-inch blade."

"Shit," she said.

"Didn't even need stitches," I said to her."Look on the bright side, Steph, you told me not to get shot today and I didn't."

Her eyes narrowed."You weren't supposed to get stabbed, either!" She said to me."Ricardo Carlos Manoso, you are _not_ to get injured _ever_ again."

"Promise, Babe," I said, knowing that she was acting purely on emotion and didn't expect a rational answer right now.

She took a deep breath and I could see that her feelings were now mostly under control.

"Okay," she said."I know you can't promise me that any more than I can promise you, but I need to know that you're going to do whatever you can to keep yourself in one piece."

"Babe," I said to her,"it's only a cut."

"What if_ I _was the one with a knife wound?" She asked me."Would _you_ say that it was only a_ cut_?"

She had me. And she knew it.

"No. I'd make sure you were okay and then I'd go after whoever caused it. And he'd be lucky if I only killed him once."

She laughed."You can't kill someone more than once, Ranger," she said to me."And you already have the idiots in custody so I can't even take my anger out on them."

"So I'm the one who gets the pleasure?"

"I'm not angry at _you,_ Ranger," she said, getting to where she'll start opening up a little more."I'm scared of losing you. I don't want you hurt, or shot, and definitely not dead, but I can't change who you are. And I don't want to. So you'll have to give me a minute to freak out and then you can tell me exactly what happened."

Stephanie continually surprises me. I knew she was worried about something happening to me, but I didn't think she'd be able to get control of herself so quickly when it did.

We moved down the hall and into the living room. When Steph was settled against me on the couch, I filled her in on Percy's capture, Amber's reaction to it, and the trip to the emergency room. When I was finished, I could see Steph was trying to hold back a smile.

"So this moron tried to protect the boyfriend who beats the crap out of her by coming at you with a knife, only to stab the asshole herself."

"Yes," I told her.

"If it wasn't for the fact that you got hurt, I'd find this really funny."

"Knew you would, Babe."

She caught my hand in hers and looked at me.

"You can't let anything happen to you," she repeated."Especially not now, because while you were out getting stabbed with a machete ..."

"It's just a_ scratch_, Steph," I told her."From a pathetically small knife, not a machete."

"Close enough," she said."As I was saying, while you were getting stabbed ..."

"Scratched."

She continued without correcting me."I decided that today would be a good day to tell Dillon that I was moving out so he could let the owners know that they'd need a new tenant soon," she said to me."Ever since you brought it up last night I've been thinking about it, and I think we're both ready to do this."

"Are you sure, Babe?" I asked her.

"I think so," she said."I'm here all the time anyway. It makes sense to have all my stuff here, too."

"And you want to make this change because it makes sense?" I asked her. I didn't want her to just shrug this off. Her answer meant more to me than I realized when I first brought it up.

"No," she said."I'm doing this because I_ want _to. And because it's important to you. As long as I'm with you, the location doesn't matter to me. But if you're going to go out and get stabbed while picking up an unarmed skip, then maybe I should have kept my place."

"Stephanie," I said, my voice not reflecting any of the amusement hers had.

"I'm kidding."

"You'd better be," I told her.

She tipped her head back and looked directly into my eyes."All joking aside, Ranger," she said,"I want to be here with you. And I know what we have is going to last ..."

"Forever, Babe," I said to her."That's how long we're going to last."

"I think so, too, Batman," she said to me."So I won't need to keep my apartment as a safety net anymore."

I pulled her even closer and wrapped my arms around her."You won't regret it, Babe."

"I haven't regretted any of the time we've spent together. And I know this time won't be any different," she said."And besides, Rex likes your kitchen. I'd hate to have to move him out of it."

"Are you finished?" I asked her.

"Teasing you?" She asked me."Yes, I'm done doing that. But I am going to have to figure out what to do with my crap, though. Valerie could probably use some of it, and the rest, I guess, could be donated or something."

"Let me know what goes where," I told her,"and I'll have the guys take care of it."

"Is there anything you won't make them do?"

"Not really."

"So when do you think we should do this?" She asked me.

"I say the sooner the better," I told her.

"Afraid I'll change my mind?" she said, smiling.

"No, Babe. When you make up your mind about something, it's a done deal."

"And that doesn't scare you?"

"No," I said to her."I want you here with me and nothing will ever change that."

"Even when my mother starts calling here? And my grandmother wants to come over and scope the place out?"

"Even then," I told her."You're what this apartment has been missing to make it feel less like a place to crash when I'm in town, and I'm not going to let you out of it."

"Are you talking about my agreement to live here?" She asked."Or about not letting me out of the apartment itself?"

"At this moment ... both."

"I wish you were kidding."

"Me, too, Steph."

"Do you think we should tell our families first?" She said."Or wait until I'm all moved in?"

"Does it matter?" I asked her, wanting her to tell me it didn't. I knew she wouldn't let anyone change her mind about this, but I didn't want her to have to put up with anyone trying convince her that it wasn't a good idea.

"No, I guess not. We can start packing up tomorrow then," she said to me."It shouldn't take longer than a day if the guys are willing to help haul crap out for me. Not a lot of my stuff survived the last fire bombing."

"Trust me, Steph," I said to her,"they're willing."

"_Oookay_ then. I guess it's official," she said."I'm living at Rangeman now."

"There's only one thing to say to that?"

"What?" She asked.

"Welcome_ home_, Babe." And I leaned down and kissed her.


	11. Chapter 11

**This chapter is centered around a change in Stephanie's life and I wanted to use it as a way of paying tribute to the characters, and memorable moments, that Janet has created over the years. Everything familiar belongs to Janet.**

**Stephanie's POV**

"Well, that's the last of it," I said to Ranger, sitting back on my heels and looking over the now empty apartment that had been my residence for more than half a decade. All that remained were the crappy appliances that were here when I moved in. Appliances that will most likely outlive whoever ended up taking my place here. Lester and Bobby have spent the better part of the day taking my belongings to either Rangeman, Valerie's house or, I hated to admit this, the dump.

"There wasn't much left to start with, Babe," Ranger said, walking over to me.

"And yet it still took almost eight hours to clean it all up," I said to him. My 'good' stuff had steadily been showing up at Ranger's apartment since the night he brought me back there after my car blew up, and the continual firebombings of this place took care of the rest."You know, I found this place shortly after my divorce. I managed to keep it through my unemployment from E.E. Martin and the crappy paying jobs from Vinnie. It has survived a bunch of explosions, stalkers, both Grandma and Lula moving in, Benito, Sally's friend Sugar, Jimmy Alpha, and mine and Morelli's rocky relationship. It seems like I should be more upset about giving it up and leaving this part of my life behind with it."

Ranger pulled me to my feet and slipped an arm around me."What _are_ you feeling right now?" Ranger asked me.

"A little _sentimental _maybe," I told him,"but definitely not sad. Not yet, anyway. I do have a lot of good memories of this apartment. And did you know that most of them involve _you_?"

Ranger dropped a kiss to the top of my head."Oh, yeah? Which ones count as your favorites?"

Non-stop images of the two of us here flashed through my mind."Hmm ... there are a lot to choose from."

"Top five?" Ranger said.

"Okay, there was that time you told Joyce that you were going to spend the night ruining me for other men," I told him.

"That_ was _one of my better lines."

"Yeah, but who knew that twelve hours was an _under_statement instead of an _over_statement?"

"_I_ knew, Babe."

I rolled my eyes at him. He didn't see me do it, but that wasn't really the point anyway.

"_Of course _you did," I said to him.

"What else?" Ranger asked.

"Are you looking for an ego boost?"

"No," he said to me."I don't need one. I'm just curious about which moments stand out in your mind."

"Okay, that night you showed up and took out Homer Ramos for me."

"I don't think that should count," Ranger said.

"It _definitely_ counts. You saved my life again that day," I told him."That _is_ pretty memorable. Or maybe it isn't to you since you've had to do it many, many times over the years."

"It's how I like to spend my free time, Steph. Anything to keep you with me longer."

I smiled up at him, and he kissed my upturned face before I continued.

"Do you remember when you picked me up for a distraction job and decided to help yourself to the buttons of my shirt after I got into your car?"

"That's the second one you've mentioned that happened in your_ lot_, not inside the apartment itself," Ranger informed me."And you started it by flirting with me first."

"What? Like there are rules now?" I asked him."The parking lot is an extension of my apartment. And don't forget, the first time you kissed me we were standing in that lot. _And_ I only flirted _a little_."

"I had a hard time keeping my hands off of you that night," Ranger said to me.

"Really?" I asked. He didn't seem to have had any problems keeping his hands to himself that night, but I sure did. A natural reaction to Ranger that I was still trying to control back then.

"Yes," Ranger said."You were looking unbelievably sexy that night. Showing enough cleavage to get everyone's attention, but still leaving them wondering how much better it could get. Miles of beautiful leg under a short skirt, and heels that gave a man ideas."

"Wow," I said,"you noticed all that? I just thought you were busy planning on how to get Perin's car picked up quickly."

"I can multi-task, Babe," Ranger said."But I did have a job to do instead of using my skills on you like I wanted."

"It would have worked that night," I told him."Between the gin I drank and the huge amount of pheromones you give off, I would have been all yours with or without your _skills_." Ranger didn't need skill, charm, or a large bank account. Merely existing was enough for all of womankind.

"Now you tell me, Steph."

"Hey, you should have asked sooner."

"Okay, next one," Ranger said.

"Well, who could forget that night you showed up after I'd talked to Abruzzi and pushed my Soder cootie couch out into the hall," I said to him."You ate a chocolate chip cookie I had baked ... okay_ heated up_. I'll never forget that as long as I live. _You_ ate a cookie. On your own. With no one forcing you."

"The _cookie_ is what you remember most about that particular night?"

"The rest of the night was shocking, too," I told him. Now seemed like a good time to admit just how dumbstruck I'd really been.

"_Shocking_, Babe?" Ranger asked.

"Uh-huh," I said."Before that night I had no clue how lust, combined with spontaneity, a little bit of love, and the knowledge that it wouldn't happen again, could turn sex into something more powerful than anything I've ever felt before, and way more intense than I would have thought possible."

"It was the same for me, Steph," Ranger said quietly."And that's why I couldn't let you go completely, even if I did think Morelli was better for you at the time. I'm more relieved than I can say that it didn't end up being something that wouldn't happen again."

"Something _that _incredible should definitely have been repeated," I said to him."And though I didn't think it was possible, it seems to only be improving the more we do it." Not that Ranger needed to hear that. He's fully aware of how potent he is.

"You're only as good as your partner, Babe," Ranger said, and I could feel him smile against me.

"If you're implying that _I'm_ your partner, then I must be freakin' _amazing_," I said, thinking of everything Ranger is great at.

"I'm not _implying_ anything_, _I'm saying it. And you are, Steph," he said, and drew me closer.

"Thank you. Now ... where were we?"

"Your next memory," Ranger said.

"Oh yeah, I've got a good one," I said to him."Remember when you broke into my apartment?"

"Which time?"

"I know, my lock has been touched more than me here."

"There's still time. I'm sure we can squeeze in another hour of touching before we leave."

It was my turn to smile."We already got rid of the bed, remember?"

"And?"

"_And _I'm not doing anything on this carpet," I told him. It's had everything from blood to Bob drool on it, and my naked body wanted no contact with it.

"Steph, there's a counter and more than four walls," Ranger said against my ear.

I shivered. We did make use of those before, but the guys were due back here and I wasn't about to get caught with my pants down, or_ off _in this case.

"No," I said, regret clear in my voice."We can celebrate 'moving day' back at your apartment in your huge bed with the cushy mattress and soft sheets."

"Looking forward to it."

And I knew he was. Ranger wasn't getting tired of my company at all. I worked down the hall from him almost every day when we weren't in a meeting with clients or out catching skips, have mostly been living with him until today when I'd officially be living with him, our spare time was spent together, and neither of us have been ready to gnaw our leg off to get some alone time. A monumental thing for two people who, in the past, claimed they needed a lot of space in a relationship.

"What break in were you thinking about?" Ranger asked, bringing me out of my head and back into our conversation.

"The one during the Ramos investigation when I woke up to you leaning over me, except I didn't know it was you at the time. You grabbed my wrist and I ended up tackling you, which led to me getting your warm, muscled body landing full length on top of me. That was my first hint of how good it could be between us."

"All my training was worth it just for that moment alone. Too bad your grandmother interrupted."

"I still can't believe it!" I said to Ranger."She slept through the alarm I'd put on the door, Munson coming at me with a knife, _and_ a gunshot. But_ that's _when she decides to check on me?"

"I like Grandma Mazur," Ranger said,"as much as a man can without encouraging her, but I could have happily shot her that night. Twice."

"Me, too. But I'm glad you restrained yourself. And we can't talk about apartment memories without bringing up Scrog." I forced the image of Ranger being shot from my mind, and instead focused on seeing him walk through my front door, completely calm and determined to rescue Julie without thinking twice about sacrificing his life for hers.

"That's a _good_ memory, Babe?"

"No," I said."Not you getting shot, but knowing that you were willing to walk straight into a trap to save your daughter ..."

"To save you, too, Stephanie," Ranger added, his voice serious."Losing either of you would have killed me even if Scrog hadn't."

"It would have killed me, too," I said quietly, trying to keep my eyes from leaking."Seeing you fall, and all that blood ..." I stopped to get myself back under control. Even to this day, as much as I tried to block it out, I could still see and smell the blood. _His_ blood."After the shock of everything that had happened I was finally able to say, at least to myself, that I love you. I'd felt it long before the shooting, but seeing you almost die in front of me made me unable to deny it any longer. I should be grateful, or maybe I should be angry, that Joe never flat out asked me if I was in love with you, because I couldn't have lied to him after that."

"That's exactly how I was feeling when you were being stalked by Benito and Cone, shot and then almost killed by Ramos, having two sociopaths, Petiak and Abruzzi, after you. Not to mention having your car catch fire with you still inside it," Ranger said, his voice equally quiet."That's why I told you I loved you, but tried to confuse you by tacking on a lot of bullshit so you wouldn't realize just how much I did. I _had_ to tell you so you'd know that I _did_ love you in case the time ever came that I wasn't able to get to you and something happened that I couldn't prevent. I didn't think you'd be happy to hear me say _I love you _point blank."

"I might have been," I said, turning to face him,"but I could have also run screaming in the opposite direction." Ranger's lips twitched. He wasn't at all offended. We were both new to this level of emotion. Never mind sharing it.

"I have a few vivid memories of this apartment, too," Ranger said after a comfortable moment of silence between us.

"Really? What are yours?"

"Since you mentioned Scrog ..."

"Jeez, Ranger. Even _you_ can't think getting shot that many times was fun," I said, interrupting him.

"No, but until recently the mornings I got to wake up holding you while I was staying here were some of the best I've ever had."

"Do you really mean that?" I asked him."Wait, of course you mean it. You wouldn't say it if you didn't, but you've lived a pretty wild life before, and after, settling here permanently. I don't think a grouchy morning disposition and frightening hair could compete with what you were used to."

"You'd be surprised, Steph," Ranger said."Before you snuck into my building I would never have said I was the type of man to want to share any part of my life with someone, but seeing how easily you fit in with me and my men, in my space, changed my mind about that. Moving in here with you was really eighty percent about protecting you, and twenty percent because I wanted to experience it again."

"Too bad Joe decided to move in, too."

"Tell me about it, Babe," Ranger said to me."I would have liked to have shot him more times than your grandmother."

"I wasn't too happy with him, either," I told Ranger.

"You did seem a little disgruntled to hear him calling you that morning," Ranger said.

My eyebrows shot to the top of my head."Can you blame me?" I asked."You're good at a bunch of different things, Ranger, but when a woman finds her needs becoming your top priority, it's not something she wants to be taken away from."

"You're not just talking about my abilities in the bedroom, are you?"

"No," I told him."Although those exceed anything I've ever known, but when you care about someone you don't half-ass any part of loving them."

"That was a compliment, right?" He asked.

"Two, actually. Even though we weren't having sex at the time, which I found is the main reason guys do anything for women, because they want to get our clothes off ..."

"That isn't me, Steph," Ranger said,"though I'm always happy when your clothes_ do _come off."

"That's the point I'm making," I said."Were weren't sleeping together and you were still there for me _every_ time I needed you. You gave me cars so I'd be safe, an endless supply of Rangemen to abuse when I was being threatened, you listened to all my complaints about Joe without saying_ I told you so_. And you also let me handle Morelli on my own when I needed to without feeling like you had to hurt him just to prove you could. And all of those things you did without expecting, or wanting, a thank you. And, to me, that makes you more of a man than all the ones I've met combined."

"Babe, you give me too much credit."

"No, I don't," I told him, sliding my arms around his neck."Sometimes I don't think I give you enough."

"You don't have to worry about that, Steph," Ranger said."I know exactly how you feel about me."

"Oh, yeah? And how's that?"

"You love me."

"That's putting it mildly," I said, softly under my breath.

Ranger hands moved to my hips."Ditto, Babe."

I kissed the underside of his jaw."We're not going to become one of those sickeningly sweet couples that make other people want to throw up, are we?"

"No," Ranger said."And if someone does say anything of the kind, a few well-placed blows will keep them from saying it again."

"I like how you always have a solution for everything."

"The world would have fewer problems if I was in charge."

"Yeah, and probably fewer people in it, too."

I heard some noise in the hall and I let Ranger go to look through the peephole. I didn't want Ranger to lecture me about opening the door without checking to see who was there first. When I did, I saw some of my neighbors. Mrs. Bestler, Mr. Kleinschmidt, Mrs. Karwatt, Mr. Wolesky, Mr. Landowsky, and Dillon the building's super holding a six-pack of beer.

"We knew you were leaving today, and we wanted to stop in and say goodbye. I brought you some going away beer," Dillon said, handing it to me while glancing at Ranger."But I guess you won't need it where you're going."

"I appreciate the beer, Dillon," I told him."Ranger's more of a wine guy."

Dillon made a face, proving what I already knew. Dillon definitely wasn't a wine guy.

"What are you leaving us for?" Mr. Kleinschmidt asked, after I put the beer down on the counter."We're gonna be stuck with some old fogy now thanks to you."

"Sorry about that, but at least it'll be quieter around here," I said, glancing at Mr. Wolesky since he's the one who always complained that I made too much noise and interrupted his programs.

"Lot of good it does now," Mr. Wolesky said."Regis went and got old. He retired, and now I'm stuck watching whatever crap they put on the TV instead."

"You'll get to watch a new tenant move in through your peephole," I said, surprised that he wasn't happier to hear that I was moving out."That should give you something to do for a couple of days at least."

He grunted. Guess that wasn't a good enough alternative to Regis.

"Who's going to be coming and going at all hours, chasing down criminals and candy bars?" Mrs. Bestler asked."You gave me something to do on nights I couldn't sleep. No one else visits the lingerie floor after hours."

Ranger came to stand beside me after I'd opened the door, and I could see his interest peek at that.

"You remember that Mrs. Bestler is our resident elevator operator, right?" I said to Ranger.

"Or resident_ fruitcake_," Mr. Landowsky said.

Mrs. Bestler looked at Ranger."Stephanie always wanted me to let her off on the lingerie floor. Now that I see her boyfriend, I understand why."

Ranger smiled at her, before turning to me."You must have quite a collection by now," he said to me.

"Yep. And you'll see it all when I unpack."

His lips tipped up and I could tell where his mind had suddenly gone. Unfortunately, Ranger has already seen pretty much all the lingerie I own. Mental note ... go shopping ASAP.

"Don't worry, Mrs. Bestler, the new tenants will have to stop on the lingerie floor to get home," I said to her."And maybe your new neighbors will be a young newlywed couple. If they are, chances are good that they'll be awake past eight thirty."

"I really hope so," she said.

I like Mrs. Bestler, but_ her _elevator didn't seem to go all the way up to the top floor anymore. Which made me love her even more, since the same thing has been said about me ever since I learned to speak.

"And _I_ may be leaving, but no one else is."

"Yeah, but you are the fun one," Mr. Kleinschmidt said to me.

"Everyone else in this building is half-dead," Mr. Wolesky added.

One of the things I've learned about seniors since I moved in here is that no one over the age of sixty thinks they're old. I sort of knew that already, because I spend a lot of time with Grandma Mazur, but this place confirmed it. It would never occur to Mr. Wolesky that _he_ would be considered half-dead himself. And I was pretty sure he was nearing eighty, if he hadn't already passed it. I sucked at math, but even I knew that eighty was more than _half_-dead unless Mr. Wolesky planned on living to be two hundred.

"There is a chance that whoever takes this place will be like me," I said to them. That sounded like a reasonable statement since they'd have to be a little off kilter to rent this place to begin with. Usually no other option, low funds, or low expectations decided who rented an apartment in this building.

"Bull pucky," Mrs. Karwatt said."_You_ were the one that kept things interesting around here."

"Yeah, Steph," Dillon said."What am I going to do with all the free time I'll have when you're not calling me up to replace your door, repaint your apartment after someone breaks in and trashes the place, or to wash blood out of the hall carpet?"

"Think of it as a vacation and enjoy it," I told him.

"How many doors did you go through here?" Ranger asked me.

"I didn't keep a body count, but I'd say a handful. That includes the death threats and slurs that Dillon had to scrub off it."

He gave his head a slight shake, not at all shocked. Ranger's long since accepted that my life had been a train wreck.

Our impromptu going away party was suddenly broken up by the return of Bobby and Lester.

"Cool, we got beer," Lester said, helping himself."Anyone else want one?"

"Santos," Ranger said.

"What? We deserve a cold beer," Lester said."The dump isn't the most desirable place to visit. We didn't even see one body while we were there this time."

Bobby grabbed a bottle, too. Guess I was sharing it.

"He ain't kidding," Bobby said."That place is called a dump for a reason."

"It's okay, Ranger," I told him."They're here doing me a favor. They're welcome to whatever I have. I should have offered it before. Dillon?"

"No thanks, Steph," Dillon said."I just wanted to say goodbye, and tell you that there'll always be a cold one here with your name on it."

I quickly blinked my eyes so the tears would hopefully dissipate.

"Thanks, Dillon. I promise to come visit. And keep in mind that not everyone knows that I'm moving out, so you could still be replacing a door again soon."

"I'll keep my piece handy just in case," Mrs. Karwatt said."Now that my hip is better, I got something bigger than my old .45. And I heard Mrs. Delgado upgraded, too, so you don't need to worry about us."

I was more concerned about the person stupid enough to try to break in than I was about my elderly neighbors. I've seen almost all of these people in action before, and they can kick serious butt when the need arises.

"I just got my walker replaced," Mrs. Bestler said, pushing her walker out so we could all admire it. It even had a little basket hanging off the front of it, perfect for a late night snack or a semi-automatic."No one will get past me."

"And I'm still packing plenty of heat," Mr. Kleinschmidt said."We'll be fine, Chicky. Bored, but fine."

These are the people that I've shared my life with over the last few years, and I didn't realize just how much I was going to miss each and every one of them even though I was only moving ten minutes away.

"You people are crazy," Lester said.

"That's rich coming from a lothario dressed up like one of those street thugs," Mr. Landowsky said.

"At least my pants aren't hiked all the way up to my pits. What's the deal with that? You don't know where your pants end and your shirt begins?" Lester asked him.

"_Lester_," I said, my eyes narrowed. Cranky as they may be, I felt a wave of protectiveness for my soon to be ex-neighbors.

"He started it," Lester said.

"No,_ you _did. Now cut it out or I'll let Ranger loose on you."

"Yes, _Mom_," Lester said sweetly.

I saw red for a minute and may have _'accidentally'_ hit his arm.

"I. Am. Not. Your. _Mother_." I told him. The day I started acting like one, is the day I'd eat my own bullet. That's if I could find one.

"Ouch," Lester said, rubbing the spot my fist had made contact with. Lester, like almost every other Rangeman, is built of solid muscle so I was pretty sure he was just humoring me.

Ranger smiled as he watched us."Go get him, Babe."

"Trust me, you are_ not _his mother, Steph," Bobby said to me."His mother would have _really_ let him have it."

"I'd like his mother, wouldn't I?" I asked Bobby.

"_Ooh,_ yeah."

"That's why the two of you will never meet if I have anything to say about it," Lester said.

"We should go and let you finish up," Dillon said.

"Thanks for everything, Dillon," I said to him."I'll be back. I promise."

"For_ visits_, Babe," Ranger said.

I rolled my eyes at him."Yes, only for visits," I said."My new landlord leaves very little wiggle room when it comes to my rental agreement. I still have to drop the keys off when I'm done here, so you'll probably see me again in about fifteen minutes. And I'm pretty sure that isn't enough time to start missing me."

Ranger smiled and Lester shook his head.

"There's no doubt that you and the Boss are perfect for each other," Lester said."You're both nuts."

"Being nuts is better than being _annoying_," I said.

"That's telling him, Chicky," Mr. Kleinschmidt said to me."We're really gonna miss you around here."

And after another round of goodbyes, and good lucks, and promises to drop by when I can, my neighbors filed out of the apartment.

"Hard to believe you want to leave here," Bobby said, watching Mrs. Bestler and her walker shuffle down the hall. She took control of the elevator buttons and I could hear Mr. Landowsky start complaining all the way from where I was standing.

"Aside from the bathroom," I told Bobby,"this place wasn't _that_ bad. Dillon was always around if I needed something. Everyone except me liked to cook, so the hallway smelled delicious when I came home, and it outlasted all my cars to date. That in itself was asking a lot of this poor apartment."

"It served you well," Ranger said,"but it's time to let someone else experience the magic of the place."

The only magic that happened here were the times Ranger had spent the night.

"I agree," I told Ranger."I'm ready to move on. Thank you guys for helping me today."

"Like we had a choice?" Lester said.

I cut my eyes to Ranger.

"Don't listen to Lester, Steph," Bobby said."He just doesn't want anyone to know that he has feelings like everyone else. Ranger only asked if there were any volunteers. Lester and I were lucky enough to offer our services first."

"And _how_ many men offered?" Ranger asked.

"All of them," Lester said to us."We _wanted_ to be here. And we will be anytime you need us, Steph."

"That's the problem with you, Lester," I said to him,"I can never decide whether to smack you or hug you."

"You already smacked me, so I'll take a hug."

"Hands where I can see them, Santos," Ranger told him.

"I'll behave," he promised before I was surrounded by his massive arms.

I was soon passed to Bobby for an equally encompassing hug. When Bobby let me go, I was blinking back tears again. I didn't know why I was suddenly so emotional. I'd been doing pretty good up until that point. I'm happy to be living in Ranger's apartment with him, and I'll even have some of these men as neighbors, but I suppose closing a door on any part of your life, even if it's by choice, is difficult no matter what you're walking away from. And really, I was only trading my crazy,_ older_, armed neighbors for crazy, _hotter_, armed neighbors. And since I've already been staying at Ranger's, my transition was going to be an easy one.

Bobby and Lester put their empty beer bottles back in the cardboard holder and picked that up along with the few boxes that I'd finished packing before Ranger and I decided to take a trip down memory lane.

"We're gonna head back out," Bobby said."We'll take this stuff back to Rangeman for you since we gotta swap out the company vehicle for ours anyway."

"Sounds good," I told him."Thanks again guys."

They left with the rest of my stuff and Ranger and I were alone again. And the place where I'd been attacked, threatened, and held at gunpoint multiple times by people like Allen Shempsky and Uncle Mo's '_business associates'_, now echoed every time we spoke. It was almost as creepy a feeling as when someone had been hiding in here waiting for me.

"I guess it's time to go," I said softly to Ranger."There's nothing left to do but say goodbye."

"Do you want me to give you a minute?" Ranger asked me.

"No. I want to walk out of here with you like I should have done a long time ago."

"Then if you're ready, Babe ..."

I lifted my bag from the hook that had held my countless shoulder bags, jackets, and at one time Bob's leash, and followed Ranger to the door. I turned and swept my eyes over the foyer, kitchen, living room, and the hall that led to my bedroom and ugly bathroom. I blew out a breath and shut the light off.

"Bye, crappy apartment," I whispered."Thank you for letting me grown up here with you." I closed the door behind me and turned the deadbolt with my key for the last time.

Bittersweet would be a good way of describing how I was feeling then. For the first time I'm really enjoying how my life has turned out, but it was still sad to think of never being back here again. I knew I should be on my way down to Dillon's basement apartment to give my keys back, but I was afraid that I'd turn into a blubbering idiot if I had to say another goodbye. And I didn't want to traumatize Dillon by doing that.

Ranger was standing close to me, his eyes searching my face."Do you want me to bring Dillon the keys while you wait in the car?" He asked, showing me once again how perfect he is at reading me.

"_Yes!_" I said, my relief was obvious to both of us.

Ranger took the keys out of my hand, replaced them with the keys to his Porsche, and pushed the first floor button on the elevator for me before taking the stairs down to Dillon's place. I stepped in the elevator and waited while it brought me down to the lobby. I took my time walking to Ranger's Cayenne. I beeped it unlocked and stood leaning against the passenger door, looking at the square brick building in front of me. I took another deep breath before letting it slowly back out.

When I told Ranger I'd give up my apartment, I never thought I'd have this reaction to moving my things out of it. I didn't realize until today just how much I cared for the stupid place. Maybe because it was the first home that I've had that I didn't have to share with anyone else. Not my parents, college roommates, an ass of an ex-husband, only Rex. It was something that was solely mine. Well, as _mine_ as something I was _renting_ could be. But_ I _was the one in charge of the TV remote here._ I _got to decide if I wanted to answer the phone or when it could just be ignored. _I_ controlled who got to come in, aside from Ranger and a few criminals that I had pissed off. I'd finally gotten to a place where I was comfortable sharing Ranger's space with him, and I felt like this apartment had been the training wheels for the ride I was about to embark on with him.

The front doors opened and Ranger was back, his long legs quickly closing the distance between us.

"Bye, Stephanie!" I heard yelled from somewhere above where I was standing.

I looked up and saw Mrs. Fine, Mr. Morgenstern, and Mrs. Benson, hanging halfway out of their windows waving.

I waved back at them as Ranger opened the car door for me. I stopped to kiss him before I climbed inside and set off a round of wolf whistles from our window audience.

"Don't you guys have anything better to be doing right now?!" I called up to them.

"No!" Mrs. Fine yelled back."You two just continue with what you were doing! Don't mind us!"

"Thanks! But I think we'll wait until we're safely behind closed doors before we do anything else!"

"Oh, don't be such a prude!" Mr. Morgenstern yelled.

I gave them a final wave and slid into Ranger's car. He angled behind the wheel and gave my thigh a squeeze before starting the engine. He knew today was tougher than I thought it was going to be. I looked out the window and watched as he pulled out of the building's lot, making the drive that I made myself too many times to count.

Ten minutes later, we were pulling into the garage of my new home. Maybe I should say that it was the garage of _our_ home, because the seventh floor has started to feel like a shared space instead of what I used to think of as just _Ranger's penthouse_. And right after I decided to tell Dillon that I was leaving, I could almost see how my things would blend with Ranger's here.

When I lived in my apartment I always used the excuse that I didn't have the time, or money, to fix the place up. Now I had to admit that wasn't exactly true. I didn't have money to buy a bunch of new stuff, but what I already owned, like pictures of my family and gifts that Mary Alice and Angie had given me over the years, I never took the time to hang up or display. And I think it had more to do with the fact that my apartment didn't feel like an actual home. Like I somehow knew that I wasn't spending the rest of my life there. It was to me what Ranger's apartment had been to him. Just someplace to sleep and eat when forced to. Now that I've been spending most of my time here, his apartment was feeling a lot less sterile and a little more lived in. And I couldn't wait to dig out one particular picture of Grandma Mazur and put it in _our_ - it still feels weird to say that - living room. One, because it's my favorite picture of Grandma and I standing together in front of the house she used to share with my Grandpa Harry. And two, because I want to hear what Ranger will say when he sees that Grandma Mazur is going to be forever a part of our place. I was also determined to wheedle a few pictures of Ranger and his family out of him. Especially Julie. I knew there had to be a couple hidden here somewhere, and I was going to find them. That being said, if someone made the mistake of saying that I was 'nesting' I'd have no problem decking them. I don't want to ever be thought of as that domestic. My mother and Valerie had that market already covered.

Ranger parked and looked over at me before getting out.

"You spent all day packing, are you ready to spend the night _un_packing?" He asked me.

"Yes," I told him."I'm actually looking forward to it."

"So am I, Babe."

We got out and met Bobby and Lester who were loitering near the stairs, waiting for us.

"We decided to go ahead and put your things on seven," Bobby said."Do you want us to help move anything else before we take off?"

"No. You guys have done enough for one day," I told him."There's really not that much to deal with."

"You're not even shitting us," Lester said."You're the only woman I know that doesn't have a bunch of useless crap lying around. I'd think you'd have more than just a dozen boxes left."

"Nope," I said to him."That's one of the benefits of having multiple molotov cocktails hurled through your windows."

"Whoever moves into that apartment is going to be a huge disappointment," Lester said, smiling at me.

"For their sake, I hope so."

"Your old apartment's loss is our gain," Bobby said.

"Why are you guys being so nice to me today?" I asked them."I'm pretty sure I'm not dying, and I haven't cried once." Though I _was _close a couple of times.

"We're trying to make you feel welcome, Babe."

"Okay ... now it makes sense," I said to him.

"_What_ makes sense?" Ranger asked me.

"You're trying out a new tactic," I told him.

"Tactic?" He asked.

"Yeah. Instead of having to lock me inside your bathroom to keep me in the building, you guys are going to make sure I never want to leave it by being on your best behavior."

"Can't get anything past you, Babe," Ranger said."I know how much you hate people trying to block your exits ..."

"Ask Hal about that one," Lester said.

I gave him a Burg worthy death glare. That wasn't one of my finer moments, and I didn't appreciate him reminding me of it.

"You were saying ...?" I said to Ranger.

"I'm going to ensure that you never want to leave here in the first place."

"Well, Batman," I said,"mission accomplished. I don't see myself leaving here willingly any time soon."

"And we have gates, cameras, and non-stop security, Babe, so you'll never have to leave here _un_willingly, either," Ranger said."Except maybe to go to your parents' house for dinner."

"And don't forget, you'll be coming with me for the next one."

"I've faced down much more dangerous people in the past, Steph," he told me.

"But this involves a Burg mother who is about to be told that her daughter is living in sin with her non-Italian boyfriend without a wedding in sight," I reminded him, not wanting him to underestimate his adversary."It's not as bad as being pregnant, but my mother still isn't likely to be thrilled by the news."

"Good luck," Lester said on a laugh."For once I don't envy you."

Ranger stared at Lester until Lester decided to make a break for it."Yeah, I should probably get going now," he said quickly before heading to his SUV.

"He'll never learn," Bobby said, watching Lester leave.

"I still ask myself daily why I hired him," Ranger said.

"You made the mistake of saving his ass in South America that time," Bobby said."And you haven't found a way to shake him yet."

"That was a fun mission," Ranger said to us, his lips twitching slightly.

"Umm ... I don't know much about your _'missions',_ or the military in general," I said to them,"but if you had to _'save Lester's ass', _how can you say that was at all fun?"

"Had to be there, Babe."

"No, thank you," I told him."I'll take your word for it. The only thing I'd want to do in South America is sit on a beach conveniently located next to a five-star resort."

"With your luck, Steph," Bobby said,"you'd end up witnessing a murder on the beach and have to spend your vacation being questioned by local authorities and hiding from the actual killer."

"Thanks for ruining my imaginary vacation, Bobby."

"You know it's true."

"Yeah, but I don't have to like it. Orlike _you_, for saying it."

"Guess that's_ my _cue to leave," Bobby said."I'll see you two tomorrow."

Ranger and I took the elevator up to the seventh floor. I found my boxes of keepables Lester and Bobby had left in the living room.

"How bad is this bothering you?" I asked Ranger.

"_What _exactly is supposed to be bothering me?" Ranger asked.

"Having your immaculate space suddenly in chaos."

"I've seen the way you've left the bathroom after having to get ready quickly," Ranger said."This is nothing by comparison."

"And yet you still want to live with me." I said, and stood on tiptoes, briefly pressing my lips to his."Thank you."

"There's nothing to thank me for, Babe," Ranger said."I like the chaos. Keeps the adrenaline pumping."

That's one way of looking at it.

"How about we grab a sandwich and then get this mess sorted out?"

"Whatever you want, Babe."

"You're not worried that I'm going to have second thoughts, are you?" I asked him.

"No," Ranger said."Since the car bomb, the most important thing I've learned about you is that you can't be strong-armed into doing something you don't want to do anymore. You wouldn't have stayed here all this time just to make me happy. And you definitely wouldn't have given up your apartment unless you felt it was the right time for you and for _us_."

"Ranger, this is where I want to be," I told him, reaching for his hand."I'll miss my apartment because it had been part of my life for so long, but I've outgrown it." I smiled at him."Sort of like I have outgrown Morelli. I don't want to go back to being the person I was when I lived there. I'm committed to moving forward with you."

"Even without a wedding?" Ranger asked.

"I don't need, or want, a wedding right now," I told him."In the future if we decide to seriously discuss it, I'd consider it, but I'm not going to demand something just to please my mother or anyone else. If I want to get married, or you feel like we should, that's when we'll do it. Because _we_ want to, no outside influence."

"Just so you know, Stephanie, I'll marry you anytime you want."

"Thank you," I said, squeezing his hand."I appreciate that, but we don't have to, Ranger. I don't need a ring or a marriage certificate to know that you love me."

"I _do_ love you, Steph," Ranger said."More every day."

"I know that now," I told him."And that means I don't require a piece of jewelry to prove it."

Ranger smiled."Since when don't you like extra jewelry?" He asked.

"There's jewelry, and then there's_ jewelry_," I told him."And I don't need the second kind right now. Just knowing that you're open to the idea is enough for me."

"Let's table this conversation for now," Ranger said."You don't need to make a decision on anything bigger than what kind of sandwich you want to eat."

I was relieved. He seemed to understand what I was saying. He wasn't hurt. He wasn't acting like he dodged a bullet. We seem to be in total agreement about this. We would be happy married to each other, but we both knew our relationship didn't depend on it.

"So, Babe, what kind do you want?"

"Chicken Parmesan," I told him,"but I'm pretty sure you don't have one of those in the kitchen, so I'll take turkey."

Ranger went to the kitchen and came back five minutes later with my sandwich and a glass of wine. He made a second trip for his own as I grabbed the first of three overnight bags and dragged it to the couch. I wasn't lying. Most of these clothes were my _ran out of clean things to wear _clothes. Sweatpants, old T-shirts and tank tops, running shorts, stuff I didn't wear anymore unless I was desperate. But now that they are here, and I'm stuck with them, they'd be okay as gym clothes or if I had to go undercover for Rangeman as a broke college student or homeless person.

I walked back and forth between the bedroom and living room in between sips of wine and bites of my sandwich. And Ranger helped by dragging boxes and bags close to where I was sitting, and by following me into the bedroom after I loaded up his arms with my stuff, careful not to bump the shoulder that had been recently opened by what the guys referred to as a_ tiny _knife. Ranger claimed that it didn't hurt and didn't bother him at all, but I wasn't going to cause him any pain if I could help it.

Martha Stewart would probably have a heart attack if she saw my method of organizing my things, but by the time my glass was empty, and Ranger's too since I decided to finish his for him, I had most of my crap nestled in between his.

"You know," I said, wrapping my arm around Ranger's waist as I surveyed the walk-in closet,"I've been living here with you for a while and I never stopped to appreciate how good our clothes look next to each other. My dresses and slutty distraction clothes hanging up next to your Rangeman uniforms and business suits. Sort of Yin and Yangy. And did you notice how _my_ uniforms seem to be taking up a large chunk of my own wardrobe now?"

"Is that code for you need to go shopping?" Ranger asked, dropping an arm across my shoulders.

"Yep," I said to him."For clothes as well as a few other things," I said, thinking about Mrs. Bestler's lingerie floor.

"Do I need to speak to Louis about adding more storage?"

"No. I can control myself," I said."Besides, I'm a world class crammer. I can find room in any space, no matter how full, if the shoes or dress are worth the effort."

"That won't be necessary, Babe," Ranger said."I want you to have everything you need here."

"Does that mean I can finally have a Lamborghini?" I asked.

"Do you want one?"

"No!" I said, quickly. I should know better than to joke about something like that with him. Knowing Ranger, there'd be one sitting in the garage before the elevator even had a chance to get down to it."I was only kidding. I don't want one. I have everything I need, want, and love, already here. Oh ... that reminds me, there's one thing I have to do before we call it a day." There was still a few things left to sort out, but the bulk of my stuff had been put away. Tomorrow I'd focus on finding places for pictures and the gifts from my nieces. I wasn't going to treat this place like I did my apartment. It deserved to have personal touches spread throughout it.

"What?" Ranger asked me, following me out of the bedroom and back into the living room.

"You'll see," I told him, and headed for one of the opened boxes that was left.

"What are you looking for, Babe?" He asked, watching me dig around in it.

"This!" I said, and unwrapped my brown bear cookie jar."And I know right where it's going to go."

Ranger smiled at me."Just because your cookie jar is here, Babe, doesn't mean that your gun is going back into it."

"Ranger, this is more than _just_ a gun holder," I told him, walking to the kitchen."No home is complete until a cookie jar is sitting on the kitchen counter."

Ranger was right behind me. He stopped a few inches from me, and leaned back against the breakfast bar.

"I've seen you with cookies, Steph," he said."They go straight from the box, or bag, into your mouth. They never see the inside of the cookie jar."

"True, but every house still needs one," I said, placing my bear next to Ranger's hundred dollar toaster that did everything but make bread for you.

I stood close to Ranger and checked out the only contribution I'd made to the kitchen aside from the peanut butter and Tastykakes I'd hidden in the cabinet.

"I think your cookie jar looks happy here," Ranger said, putting his arm around me and pulling me against the front of him.

"He does," I said, and tipped my head back so I could see his face,"but it doesn't come close to how happy I've _been_, or_ am _going to be, here."

Ranger turned me to face him, bent his head, and covered my lips with his. And when both of his arms came around me, with no space at all between us,_ I _felt more complete than our seventh floor apartment ever could, even with the cookie jar I'd just added to it.


	12. Chapter 12

**I've seen various items that have reminded me of Stephanie or Ranger since I started reading the Plum series, and I thought it'd be fun to include a few of them in this chapter. Anything familiar belongs to Janet.**

**Ranger's POV**

I woke up with Stephanie in my arms, and her curly brown hair gently brushing my face as she slept. The only thing better would have been waking up with her mouth on me. Since I am always awake before Steph, that wasn't likely to happen. That was one drawback of military life, you're taught to always be ready to get someone before they got you. In this case, I think Steph and I got each other at the same time. I have the woman I've wanted ever since the day Connie called me to meet with their new bounty hunter, and Stephanie got a burnt out, mostly ex-mercenary with few emotions left. And somehow Steph managed to breathe new life into my remaining ones. Enough to finally convince me to tell her how I felt and not look back once I had.

"Hey," she said, her voice still sounding half asleep.

"Hey yourself, Babe."

"No gym?" She asked me.

"Not today," I told her."I'll get plenty of exercise when your father finds out about us and pulls out the gun your mother tried to hide from him."

I wasn't worried at all about her father's reaction. I've done nothing to hurt Stephanie and I believe that's all Mr. Plum cared about. Stephanie is calling the shots today, since they are her parents, but I have no intention of letting them come down on her if they did have a problem with our living arrangement. From the moment I agreed to help Stephanie become a bounty hunter, she's been under my protection. _Anyone_, gangbangers on the street, old associates that may take issue with me, and even my own men stupid enough to look at her in a _more than just friends _way, will have to answer to me if they mess with Stephanie. And her parents wouldn't be spared if they did anything to upset her today.

Steph would probably roll her eyes at me, and think I was making a big deal over nothing. She may be okay with how her mother treats her, but I wasn't about to let her get disrespected when I was there to put a stop to it. It's time her family accepted the fact that Stephanie isn't a child anymore. Steph has grown up into a beautiful, capable, intelligent woman who deserved to be taken care of by her family, not demeaned and ridiculed by her own parent. Not that Stephanie needed me to speak for her. I was confident that she would hold her own and give back as good as she got. Stephanie isn't the same woman who was yelling at Morelli that night with her car, once again, burning in the background. She's secure in her life, and in the choices she's made since. Me being at the center of most of them. I knew I had some influence over Stephanie, but I didn't grasp just how life changing saying I love you to her would be for both of us. And the changes kept coming. From the look I caught in her eye last night, the apartment was about to undergo some of it's own.

"Earth to Ranger," Steph said, using the same words I've said to her numerous times."Usually _I'm_ the one who is a million miles away."

My lips curved on their own as I turned my head towards her."I'm just thinking about the day we have ahead of us."

"Let me get this straight," she said, leaning over me and dragging the sheet with her."I'm lying in your bed, completely naked, and you're busy thinking about our schedule? Jeez, I've only been moved in for one day and you're already losing interest?"

I ran my eyes along her face, her wild hair, down to the edge of the sheet that was hiding the body that has fueled countless fantasies. And many of them included her lying right where she is this morning.

"I'm not losing interest, Babe," I told her, lowering my voice suggestively."Far from it. If anything, I was giving you a chance to rest before I attacked you again."

"Oh really?" She asked.

"Yes."

She slid across my chest and slipped her arms around my neck. And in a move that took me by surprise, which isn't easy to do anymore, she attempted to roll over onto her back and pull me with her at the same time. She would have succeeded if I didn't outweigh her by almost a hundred pounds of muscle. I was more than happy to comply with her wishes, and her body was warm when I came to a stop on top of it. Her softer curves provided the perfect landing zone for my much harder ones. Since Stephanie used my Bulgari last night in the shower, and then spent the better part of the night sleeping across my chest, she smelled faintly like me. She's always stealing my shower gel, and I don't think she gets how big a turn on it is to have your woman want your scent on her even when you aren't around. I slanted my mouth over hers, and kissed her with barely restrained passion. I forced myself to take things slow, enjoying the feel of her mouth opening under mine, relishing the taste of her that I've craved ever since that first kiss in her parking lot, and savoring the touch of her tongue moving steadily against mine. When I had myself back under control, I released her mouth and skimmed my lips down her neck, her breasts, and past her stomach - which clenched repeatedly under my touch - and went about showing her justhow_ interested _I was in her being naked next to me in our bed. Yesterday, today, and everyday after.

We got up an hour later, not bothering to get completely dressed. Knowing that we didn't need to. I hired the best people I could find to work for me. And Ella was no exception. She is as inconspicuous as she is talented. If no one answered the door when she knocked, she quickly dropped off breakfast in the kitchen, and then quietly let herself out. I threw on a pair of sweat pants but left my chest bare. Steph would appreciate it, and I had no problem using my body to distract her if she needed a distraction from our impending visit to her parents' house. And since we don't have anyplace to be until then, I was going to enjoy just hanging around the apartment with her until it was time to leave.

Stephanie must have had the same idea. And seeing her wearing her cute little PJ's in the middle of my kitchen, not at all embarrassed about her appearance, not running to put her clothes on, and best of all not covering herself up with my robe, made my blood heat almost as quickly as seeing her breasts press against the thin material of her tank top every time she moved. She was sipping coffee from a mug I knew didn't come from Ella or this apartment, and I was suddenly filled with such satisfaction, more so than when a FUBAR'd mission I was responsible for was completed successfully with no lives lost. It wasn't like Morelli's immature _I won - you lost _feeling which, in my opinion, is no better than a neener-neener taunt taking place between two children on a playground. What I felt now was an almost overwhelming sense of my life being completed. My professional life, personal life, and my past all culminating in this moment. It was as if every thought I've had, action I've taken, and decision I've made has been leading up to this. It was hard to put into words, and I wasn't going to try. I had to check this if I didn't want Tank to start in on me. Then I'd have to spend a day beating the shit out of him just to prove that me being in love with someone didn't make me any softer. And I'd fuck up anyone who doubted it.

"Mary Alice?" I asked Steph, nodding to her mug.

She looked at the side of her_ Aunt Stephanie Rocks! _mug before answering."Angie."

I walked up to her and whispered against her ear."Their Aunt Stephanie not only rocks, she's also unbelievably sexy."

"You seem to think so," she said to me.

"I do. What else has been hiding in your apartment?"

"We have some time to kill before we have to go," she said to me,"so you'll probably see more after breakfast."

In all the years Steph had lived in her apartment, she'd never put out anything that showed her personality or who she was as a person. I'd just assumed that after being raised by the Homemaker From Hell, Stephanie didn't want any part of decorating her place. But now it was becoming clear that she'd only been waiting for someplace worth the effort. And I was beyond pleased to know that she viewed my apartment, _our_ apartment, as that place.

We sat down at the breakfast bar and lifted the lids off of the food Ella brought.

"Ohh..." Stephanie said when she saw the breakfast Ella had made her."She made chocolate chip pancakes!"

You could always tell Ella's mood by what she chose to cook, and today Ella was obviously very happy with Stephanie.

"Only for you, Babe," I told her.

"Yeah, because no one else here would eat them," she said back."You're really letting her culinary skills go to waste here at Rangeman."

"Steph, chocolate chip pancakes aren't really considered fine dining," I said to her.

"They should be. Here, try a bite," she said, holding out her fork to me.

I took the piece she offered and had to suppress my gag reflex to get it down. It was disgustingly sweet, and I still couldn't figure out how she managed to eat three of them without being affected by the spike in blood sugar and the crash that would normally follow. Why would anyone want to eat food that destroys your body from the inside out?

"When did Ella come up?" Steph asked."I didn't even hear her come in."

"When we were getting out of bed." Stephanie made a face and I knew what she was thinking."Steph, Ella is very discreet, otherwise I never would have hired her," I said."She's not interested in anything that goes on in here if it's not directly related to her job."

"I know. Ella is so good at coming and going without being spotted that I used to think that she mentally transported food up here," she said to me."I knew if anyone could find a housekeeper who could do that, it'd be you."

"Ella's good," I said,"but as far as I know, unless she forgot to fill out that section of her resume, she lacks that ability."

"I know you're making fun of me, but just think of how useful that would be if you wanted a midnight snack," she said."You wouldn't even have to leave the bed."

"Not leaving the bed _does_ sound good," I told her,"as long as you're in it with me."

"I'd better be," she said, her eyes narrowing at the thought.

"There's no one else I want in it, Babe."

She leaned forward and kissed me lightly before turning to give Ella's pancakes an equally admiring look.

After breakfast we spent the rest of the morning rearranging things on the bookcase in the living room and moving artwork that I didn't know I had until Stephanie asked if she could take some down to hang her own up. I was surprised that after only twelve hours of her things arriving here, she was already looking for places to put them.

"Where do you think this should go?" She asked me, holding up a framed 8x10 inch print.

I let out a bark of laughter.

"Mary Alice gave this to me for my birthday last year."

"It's perfect, Babe," I told her.

It had the Wonder Woman logo of two stacked W's, and the words _'I Chase Bad Boys' _written in a circle around it.

Stephanie smiled."I really do love that kid," she said."And who would have guessed that the _bad boys _wouldn't be limited to just my skips?"

"Are you calling me a bad boy, Steph?" I asked her.

"If the Bates' Boot fits," she said to me.

I leaned in close."Babe, that's not exactly true. You know exactly how _good_ I am ... intimately," I whispered against her ear.

I felt the slight tremble run through her body. I wouldn't mind making her body tremble for the rest of the day, but we have a visit with her parents to deal with before I could indulge us both. And if things didn't go as planned, I'd make certain that the bad part of the day disappeared right along with her clothes.

"If you think this is funny, you should see what Lula bought me at the mall a while back," she said, stepping away from me to slide her picture onto it's new home on my wall.

"I'm afraid to ask," I said to her. Stephanie is always beautiful to me, but I'd have a hard time picturing her in pink leopard print anything.

Steph looked over at me and laughed."It's not that bad," she said, probably catching my subtle cringe."Let me see if I can find where I put it."

She went into the bedroom and came back a couple of minute later with a gray T-shirt in her hands. It didn't look like anything Lula would have bought, thank God.

"I don't know if you noticed, but there was a_ What Would Jesus Do? _trend a while ago," she said. She paused when she saw my blank look."Yeah, I had a feeling you weren't aware of it. Anyway, people started taking out Jesus, and putting someone else in his place. Lula saw this while we were supposed to be looking for yet another shoulder bag for me after a skip had torn the strap on the last one."

She held the shirt up and turned it to face me. It had two capital W's across the chest and a capital D at the end. I'm assuming where the J for Jesus would have gone there was a solid black image of a bat.

"Lula thought it was funny since I used to ask myself, out loud of course, what you would do if you were there with us during some unpleasant situations," Steph said to me, waiting for my reaction.

"Why wouldn't you want me to see it?" I asked her.

"At the time, I didn't think Joe would have found it as funny as Lula did if he knew about it," Steph said.

"I wouldn't have minded hearing what Morelli thought of it, Babe." Even Lula was aware of what was between Steph and I. The only one who remained clueless about what we meant to each other was Joe.

"_You _wouldn't. But that wasn't the only reason. I've called you Batman since I've known you, but I wasn't sure how you really felt about me doing it. And I didn't want to give you the impression that I was with you because of some twisted version of hero worship."

I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her flat against me."First off, Babe, I don't mind being _your_ Batman. He and Wonder Woman," I said, nodding to the picture she'd just hung up,"would have made one hell of a couple. And second, I like knowing that you value my opinion on how to handle things."

"Good. Because yours is the only opinion that matters to me," she told me.

I brushed my thumb across her lips."Keep that in mind for later today."

"I have Batman for backup, what could go wrong?" She said."Shit. Forget I said that. With my family you don't want to_ ever _tempt fate."

"What's the worst thing that can happen, Babe?" I asked her.

"My mother will say something about me, you, or our life together that will make me completely crazy. I'll get angry, storm out of the house, and then I'll have to do it all over again a week later when my guilt and her phone calls wear me down."

"You can't let her get to you, Steph."

"I try not to," she said, her voice sounding strained to me,"but she knows all of my buttons. And she pushes them relentlessly."

"Stephanie, when she starts," I said,"_if _she starts ..."

"Oh, she'll start the second I say that I'm now living on the top floor of a security business."

"In an _apartment _above a security business."

"A distinction I promise you my mother will miss."

"Where did she think you were staying?" I asked her. Her mother must have known that Stephanie was staying with me at least part of the time.

"She probably figured our relationship was like mine and Morelli's," Steph said to me."That I'd maybe stay over here a couple of nights out of the week and then go back to my place. It would never occur to her that I'd give up my apartment after all the foot-dragging I'd done with Joe. And except for politely asking how you and your businesses are doing, my mother hasn't pressed for details. Which is really unlike her, now that I think about it."

"Isn't that good?"

"In one way," Steph said,"yes. But in another, it's bad because she's going to act like I've completely blindsided her."

I raised an eyebrow in disbelief."You're not serious?" I asked. Stephanie didn't go back to Morelli this time. And I went with Steph to her parents' house before as the man in her life. I can't believe that Helen wouldn't see this coming.

"Yep," Steph said."Who do you think I learned my denial techniques from?"

"If you know exactly what she's going to say, and how she'll react, then it should be easy to not listen to her."

"That's how it starts out," she said to me."I ignore her. If she doesn't stop, I'll begin to get annoyed. And then it usually goes to hell shortly after. I find myself acting like I did when I was a kid about to get grounded for a month. And I hate that she has the power to reduce me to that."

"Will it help to remember that despite what happens with her, you'll be coming home with me? I also know every button to push to get a reaction from you," I told her."And I, too, will concentrate on them until you can't think of anything but me, least of all your mother."

She slid her arms around my waist and looked up at me."I'd ask if I can hold you to that, but you've proven, especially this morning, that you can hold anything I throw at you."

"And then some, Babe," I told her. This morning would be a hard one to top. And I wasn't speaking strictly about sex, either.

She blew out a sigh."Okay, you gave me something to work towards. Now I just have to get through lunch, possibly dinner, before I get to have any fun."

"Your mother could surprise you, Stephanie," I told her,"and you might end up enjoying today."

"Hah!" She said."Only if Grandma is home will there be a slight chance of that."

"Is Grandma Mazur ever not home?" Every time I've gone there with Stephanie, her grandmother was always the first one at the door.

I've always had a cautious affection for Grandma Mazur. I have a feeling Stephanie would have turned out a lot different if she didn't have her grandmother to run to when Helen and Valerie got to be too difficult to be around. And I'll be forever grateful to Edna for being there for Stephanie back when I wasn't aware she was living right across town just waiting to turn my life upside down. Giving Stephanie a safe place to hide from her family when she needed to wasn't so different from what I've tried to do for her after I had finally met her. I still wouldn't let Grandma cop a feel, but I did owe her something just for supporting Stephanie before I had the privilege of championing her myself.

"Ranger, she does have her own crazy life away from my parents' house. But if she knows you're coming over, she immediately cancels any plans she may have had," Steph told me."It would take one hell of a viewing for her to pass up the opportunity to ogle you."

"You're making me very uncomfortable, Babe." I was aware that women enjoyed looking at me, but when their ages began to triple mine, I would prefer them to stop. Or, at the very least, not be so open about appreciating what they did see. Grandma Mazur wasn't completely unique, because I've noticed that once women hit a certain age, all modesty disappears.

"Now you know how I feel when I have to go over there ... uncomfortable," Stephanie said, but she softened her words by pressing her lips to mine."Welcome to the family."

I tucked a curl behind her ear and trailed a fingertip down her cheek."You have your mother all figured out," I said, watching her eyes close slightly at the contact."What about your father?" Curious if she would agree with my assessment of him.

I could feel the breath she took, trying to fight her body's reaction to me while paying attention to what I was saying instead of what I was doing.

"He tolerated Joe, and you don't have nearly as bad a track record as he did," she said."Though my dad still doesn't know about the choo-choo incident, so that helped with the tolerating. I'm sure he'll be okay with us living together as long as you promise him that you won't screw with me like Joe and Dickie did."

"Why did you forgive Morelli for the_ 'choo-choo incident'_?" I asked her, my tone indicating just how much I hated the innocent name he gave to something that was far from innocent. Their 'relationship' aside, there were times, too many to count, where I've wanted to do irreversible damage to Joe just for that alone. Cut his dick off, maybe. Or his hands. Any part of him that did, and could have, come into contact with Stephanie. And when I thought about him taking her virginity years later, and walking away from her minutes after without a backwards glance, torturing him myself for days on end still wouldn't be enough to tamp down the rage I felt on her behalf.

Everyone in Trenton knew about Joe Morelli. That he came from an abusive home. And that he'd become a major player before he'd even hit junior high. But writing about their encounter on any available wall across the city was fucking disgusting, even for _him_. Steph had managed to mostly forgive him for everything by the time I entered her life, but I wasn't as generous as she was. A broken leg didn't make up for the humiliation she must have felt at having her first time be with someone like him who saw her only as a name to add to his increasing number of conquests. And while Morelli did become a decent cop, and was making an effort at changing his life, he still viewed Stephanie the same way. Not so much as a _sexual_ conquest, but he seemed to get off on trying to bully her into choosing his needs over anything else.

I couldn't exactly throw stones about conquests, since I did get a girl I had no intention of staying with pregnant, but I tried to make it right in any way I could. If I'd have been in Mr. Plum's position, and someone had done to my daughter what Joe's done to Stephanie in the years they've known each other, there would be no identifiable pieces left of him. There wouldn't be now if Stephanie gave me the slightest hint that she wanted him gone.

"Joe was a pig," Steph said, distracting me from all the places I knew where his body could be hidden."I make no excuses for his behavior then, or now, but I will take responsibility for mine. I shouldn't have gone into the garage with him. Even though I had no clue what I was getting into, my mother had warned me that bad things would happen if I was ever alone with a Morelli boy. At that age, telling me to stay away from something, or someone, was a sure way of ensuring that I was going to do it as soon as I got the chance. I probably would have done whatever Joe wanted just to see what all the fuss was about."

"You just said that you didn't have any idea of what could happen," I told her, not wanting her to shoulder_ any _of the blame here. Morelli was only older by two years, but two years is a big difference when the ages were six and eight, and it involved an eight-year-old boy and a sheltered six-year-old girl. I knew who should be taking _responsibility_ for what happened inside the garage and bakery, and it sure as hell wasn't Stephanie."You're not to blame for any of it, Babe. He was older, and he fucking knew better. Morelli never should have touched you when you were six. And he damn sure shouldn't have touched you years later at Tasty Pastry. Consensual that time, or not."

"I agree," she said, cupping my jaw in her hand."He shouldn't have, but he was pretty screwed up himself at the time."

"That doesn't make it any less wrong," I said, feeling myself getting angry all over again.

"No, it doesn't. But I've moved past it, and everything that has gone on between us since."

She is just too fucking good. For Morelli, for the Burg, even for me.

"Your father should have at least been given the opportunity to have a one-on-one with him." If it'd been Julie, Ron and I would have taken turns if I hadn't reached the guy first.

She rolled her eyes at me."What is it with men? All of you seem to think fighting is the only solution to a problem."

"It's our deep-seated caveman brains, Babe," I told her. I know I've had plenty of primitive thoughts when it came to doing things_ to _her and to protect her."And fighting isn't the _only_ solution, but it_ is _the most effective one. For the people I associate with anyway."

"Well, that's not going to help me today," she said to me."I can't exactly challenge my mother to a cage match."

"No, but you can block her out."

"That's actually the issue," she said to me, letting out a frustrated sigh."I don't want to _have _to block her out. I want her to stop complaining about me and who I've become. That doesn't sound like too much to ask."

"It isn't, Babe," I said. And my anger switched from Morelli to Helen Plum. I didn't understand Helen. She has this incredible woman as her daughter, a woman who is unbelievably kind, loving once you get past her self-protective barriers, loyal almost to a fault, and Helen still isn't capable of appreciating her. I wanted Stephanie to realize _that_ was a huge flaw in her_ mother's _character, not her own."But you have to keep in mind that there are people who aren't going to change, or treat you differently, just because you want them to."

"I know," she said, stepping closer to me."But if I want to try to make our relationship better, I think she should at least meet me halfway. I am her freakin' daughter, for crissake. Whether she's happy about it or not."

Maybe I'd be able to fit two bodies in the stretch of woods just outside of Newark. If Helen likes Joe so much, I'm sure she wouldn't mind sharing her final resting place with him.

"Ranger, what's wrong? You just got all weird again."

"_Weird_, Babe?"

"Yes. Your body stiffened for a millisecond, and it felt like you were somewhere else again."

"I'm with you now, Steph." I forgot how easily she could read me sometimes.

She stared at me for a beat before speaking."You are _not_ killing Joe _or _my mother," she said."Jeez. You can't just eliminate anyone who has done something bad to me. There'd be no one left in Trenton if you did."

"I'd be very selective, Babe."

"Ranger, no. I have to find a way of handling this without foul play being part of it."

"There has to be evidence of foul play before a death can be ruled that."

"_Ranger ..."_

"Do you like being with me?" I asked her.

"Like you even have to ask?"

"Do you want to change any part of your life?"

"Definitely not," she said.

"That's all she needs to know, Babe," I told her.

"I wish it was that easy."

"It can be. You just have to stand up to people like your mother," I said."Once they see that you respect yourself, they'll follow suit."

"Is that the key to your success?" She asked me, and I could see a teasing light enter her eyes.

"No," I said to her."I'm a little more _physical _when it comes to demanding respect. I let my actions speak for themselves so people never have reason to question me."

"So if I follow Ranger 101, I'll eventually get there, too?"

"If you believe in yourself like I believe in you, you'll definitely get there, Babe," I told her, caressing the softness of her cheek and throat with the backs of my fingers."I'll even agree to work with you _very closely _to make sure that you do."

I saw her inhale sharply and I smiled. I love how responsive she is to everything I say ... and do.

"If not," I added,"I can step in and fix it for you."

"No. My mother, my problem."

"Not anymore, Steph," I told her."I'm going to help you with anyone and anything you need me to."

"Thank you for wanting to, Ranger, but_ I _have to be able to handle her on my own," Steph said."You've done too much for me already. I'm not going to make you spend the rest of your life cleaning up the messy parts of mine. And_ I'm _not going to spend everyday dreading a phone call or a dinner there. If I'm able to put up with Vinnie on a daily basis, I'm sure I can have a civilized conversation with my mother."

"If she won't allow you to, then we'll leave, Babe. Simple as that. I'm not going to watch you get treated like shit and just do nothing."

"I know it'd be asking a lot of you,"she said to me,"so you won't have to. I'll figure out how to interact with her without it turning into an afternoon-long bitchfest."

"Just put a stop to it before it gets to that point," I told her.

My own family wasn't what you'd call easy, with six kids it wasn't likely to be, but my parents had made it work. And they did whatever they could to make sure their children succeeded, even if it meant sending their son to another state to get him away from a lot of bad choices. That's what I couldn't wrap my mind around when it came to Helen Plum. She seemed to care more about appearances than her own family most of the time. And seeing what Stephanie has had to put up with from her made me appreciate my mother all the more. I knew she'd love Stephanie, and I was willing to bet that my always outspoken mother would also love to have a few words with Mrs. Plum. I've given them plenty of reasons to worryover the years, but I always knew my parents loved me. And that seems to be something Stephanie still struggles with.

I knew that on some level Helen cared about her daughter, but she was quick to overlook that in the face of potential gossip. Being a man who didn't give two shits about what people thought of me or my reputation, I couldn't see why Stephanie or her mother cared so much about it. There's already too much fucking crap in the world to waste time thinking about something as trivial as grocery store gossip. But as much as Grandma Mazur had a positive influence on Steph, her mother had a negative one. And I was determined to get Stephanie to see that the only thing that's important is her own happiness. And if her mother wasn't going to contribute to it, then she'd have to be dealt with accordingly.

"Let's not borrow trouble," I finally said to her."If you feel like you're going to go for her jugular, we'll walk and try again when you both have calmed down."

"No," she told me, pasting a smile on her face."I'll be okay. If she doesn't accept you, or us, then we'll just spend more time here or eat out at Shorty's and Pino's. And there is a bright side if today doesn't go well, I won't have to think up any more excuses to get out of going over there for dinner."

"Babe, I'm not coming between you and your family," I said. That wasn't my goal. I don't care if they like me or not. I just want to make it clear to them that Stephanie wasn't to be verbally abused every time she visited them.

"That's what I'm trying to say, Ranger," she said, not looking away from me,"now you're my family, too."

It was a simple statement, but that didn't lesson the effect the words themselves had on me. I slowly lowered my head and took control of her mouth, letting my lips, tongue, and teeth convey what she continually stirred in me. Her fingers crept in between us and gently brushed against the muscles of my stomach and chest until they reached my neck. Steph gripped the back of my head with both of her hands and pulled me in closer. When she made an incoherent sound into my mouth, I couldn't stop my own hands from grabbing her ass and grinding her lower body against mine. Even_ my _well-conditioned body was screaming for oxygen long before I was ready to release her.

"Whew," Steph said, when our mouths finally separated."You keep doing that and I'll have no problem ignoring my mother and concentrating only on you."

"That was the idea," I told her, when really it was a knee-jerk reaction to her honesty.

"Do you want to get dressed and head over now?" I asked her.

I was ready to put this behind us so we could move on. If we got Stephanie's family taken care of today, she could relax and not feel like she had to downplay us being lovers now. Steph probably didn't even realize she was doing it. She wasn't denying our relationship, but she didn't seem to want to draw too much attention to it, either. My guess would be that she didn't want to have to explain or defend what we have together to the people she cared about. And I, being the selfish bastard that I am, wanted all of the energy Stephanie spent on worrying to be focused on me and the future we're going to have.

If Helen did have a problem, I was going to take care of it if Stephanie couldn't. That had been a fundamental part of our friendship during it's early stages. If Stephanie needed advice, backup, or a steady gun hand, I was there to supply whatever she needed. And nothing has changed in my mind. Steph has proven that she's more than my equal, but I was still going to be right there beside her if I saw that she was struggling with something. And I included her mother in that as much as an FTA.

"Yeah, we've been lazy long enough. I'll go put something on," she took a step before looking back at me."Maybe I should wear Lula's T-shirt today just as a reminder. Plus it would piss my mother off."

"Babe." She really was fucking incredible."Go put the shirt on before I decide you won't need one."

"Beware, Batman," she said,"if you give it all up before we leave, I won't have anything to anticipate."

I closed the small distance between us and let my hand slide from her messy curls all the way down to the sweet curve of her ass before I pulled away. We were standing so close to each other that I could feel her nipples tighten as they pressed into my chest.

"Score one for Batman," she said in the tone that always made me instantly hard.

"I don't know, Steph, I'd say we both scored this morning," I said to her, bending my head to kiss her again. Getting to enjoy the taste and feel of her on a daily basis seems to have only made me want her more.

"I'll say," she said against my mouth when I let her lips go.

"Go throw on some clothes so we can get back here and finish this."

"I guess I'll have to add insatiable to the list of adjectives I'd use to describe you."

"Who came on to who this morning?" I asked her, just to see her eyes dilate before she could stop herself. Steph still didn't seem inclined to get dressed, and if she kept looking at me like that, we wouldn't be leaving."Looks like I'm going to have to help you get dressed since you're not moving yet."

"I'm also adding aggravating," she told me, her narrowed eyes no longer dazed.

"Who exactly is this list for?" I asked her. From day one, Steph has never failed to fascinate me. And once again, I was curious to see what path her mind has chosen to wander down now.

"Me. It's what I think about when you're lecturing me about my gun and my diet."

"And here I was thinking you were actually listening to me," I said to her. That she _was_ thinking about me was good, even if it wasn't in the most flattering way.

"I _was_ listening to you," she said."But there _are_ two side of the brain. The left side was listening intently to you, while the right side was running through the list."

"Remind me again why I put up with you."

"I already did this morning. But aside from the mind-blowing sex, I'm also fun, exciting, and completely delightful."

"_Delightful _doesn't begin to describe you, Babe." It wasn't a word I would've used. It didn't come close to doing the complete Stephanie Plum package justice.

"Tough," she said."Only one of us gets to make a list, and that's me." She gave me a smile before walking into the bedroom.

I took a moment to appreciate the way her hips moved as she walked, even if it was away from me, before following her to get ready myself.

A half hour later, we were on the road heading towards the Burg. I kept Stephanie's hand in mine when I wasn't shifting gears, wanting to remind her that she wasn't alone in this.

"You don't have to baby me, Ranger," she said, looking sideways at me."You may want to save all this concern for when someone is trying to kill me again."

I cut my eyes to her. The thought of someone succeeding in doing just that has kept me up more nights than I wanted to admit to."Babe, if someone_ was _trying to kill you, I'd be locking you inside my apartment, not driving you to your parents' house."

"You'd like to think that's what you'd be doing, but we both know how that would turn out."

She was right. Stephanie would fight me every step of the way. I've found that it's a lot easier just to put two men, and three trackers, on her and her vehicle when she was in danger, while also guarding her personally without her realizing that's what I was doing. The late night stops at her apartment, pulling up behind her when she'd been parked somewhere, and calling just at the moment she needed assistance had less to do with superpowers, and more to do with the latest technology and an obsession with keeping her safe. And all of that was simpler, and the outcome far better, than making the mistake of telling her what to do.

Helen was standing in the doorway when I pulled up in front of their house and parked. Stephanie hadn't been exaggerating about her mother's Burg radar. It made me feel a little bad about also having Stephanie heavily monitored by my company, but not bad enough to make me stop doing it. A little guilt was easier to stomach than a world without Stephanie Plum in it.

"Uh-oh," Steph said."She's already heard something."

"If you were concerned about her finding out about it from someone else," I said to her,"maybe we should have come here last night before going back to Rangeman."

"No. I wanted to spend the night with you unpacking, drinking wine, and relaxing," she said."I figured she could wait a day before freaking out."

We got out of the car and I wrapped my arm around her waist, presenting a united front to Helen.

"Stephanie," her mother said when were halfway up the sidewalk,"I was just about to call you."

"I bet," Steph said quietly to me.

"I just got off the phone with Gina Giovichinni. Her mother was driving by your apartment yesterday and saw some large men dressed all in black carrying boxes from the building," Mrs. Plum said."I'm so glad that you have finally decided to fix that place up a little. Honestly, a grown woman shouldn't be living in an apartment that looks worse than the dormitory room she had in college." She paused and, just as Stephanie predicted, her eyes zeroed in on her T-shirt and well-worn jeans."What on earth are you wearing now? Why do you insist on dressing like a teenager instead of a thirty-year-old woman?"

"I like what I'm wearing, Mom," Steph said to her."Can we at least make it inside the house before you start complaining about my clothes?"

I gave Stephanie's hand a squeeze. She looked over at me and rolled her eyes. She still had a sense of humor. That was a good sign.

We followed Helen through the house and into the small kitchen. And I didn't see Stephanie's father or grandmother anywhere. It was probably for the best. We could give Helen the news and deal with the fall-out without interruption. We sat down at the table and, ever the hostess, Mrs. Plum poured us all coffee and put out a plate of cookies. I was sure the hospitality was going to be short lived.

"Where's Dad and Grandma?" Stephanie asked her.

"Your father is at the lodge for the third time this week. And Valerie had to exchange something at the mall and your grandmother decided to go along with her. They should be back soon. The two of you haven't been here together for quite a while now," Mrs. Plum said, looking at me."Stephanie has said that you've been working. I hope everything is all right."

I could see Steph smile out of the corner of my eye. I remembered her saying that her mother only asked about my work.

"Business is good," I told her.

"Ranger's busy, Mom," Steph added."He's lucky if he gets a chance to eat at all."

"And your family?" Helen asked.

She was trying to make it sound like a casual question, but I knew better. And she wasn't getting any information on the members of my family until Stephanie has met them all.

"They're good," I told her. I was done with the pleasantries. I wanted to say what we came here to say without sitting through an hour of meaningless small talk. And I wanted to keep Stephanie from taking the brunt of whatever it was her mother had to say about it. I know I'm not the type of man that mothers want their daughters dating. Good thing Stephanie seldom did what her mother approved of."Mrs. Plum, we came over today to tell you that I've asked Stephanie to move in with me and she said yes. We were moving the last of her belongings out of her apartment yesterday."

Helen fell into a shocked silence that, unfortunately, didn't last long.

"I see," she said to me, her voice calm. I knew by the tone that this was just the calm before the storm."So you can ask my daughter to move in with you, but you can't be bothered asking her to marry you first? Is there something about Stephanie that makes her not worthy of becoming _your_ wife? I know you young people don't believe marriage is all that important, but I think it's only fair of you to offer Stephanie the security of a ring before asking her to give up her apartment for you."

"Stephanie _surpasses_ 'worthy'," I said, trying to control my temper. Saying what I really wanted to wouldn't make Stephanie's relationship with her any easier."Stephanie and I ..."

"Ranger, stop," Steph said, putting her hand on my thigh."I've got this." She turned to her mother."Ranger and I have discussed marriage, and_ I _decided that we don't need to get married right now."

"_You_ decided," her mother said."Why are you always doing things like this to yourself? And to_ me_?"

"Things like this?" Stephanie asked.

I knew then that this was going to get worse before they settled anything.

"You keep making all the wrong decisions," Helen said."I swear, it's like you purposely want to make everyone's life as difficult as possible. Especially mine._ I've _lived my life like I'm supposed to. I go to church. I haven't broken any laws, except for the time I hit that guy in the rabbit suit, but he was trying to kidnap you so I'm sure God will overlook that. I got married and devoted my life to taking care of my husband and my family. And this is how you thank me?"

I was thinking a good way of thanking her was to place a call to a_ 'friend' _of mine who would make Helen disappear forever, but Stephanie probably wouldn't be thrilled with that plan, no matter how upset her mother made her.

"You're seriously considering just _living_ with a man instead of marrying him? Even if he is willing to?" She asked Stephanie, not letting up for a minute.

If Stephanie didn't speak up for herself soon, I was going do it for her. Since I am the man Helen keeps talking about like I'm not sitting within choking distance of her, I figure I have the right.

"I haven't only _considered_ it," Steph said with feeling,"I've actually done it. Dillon has my keys, and he's probably repainting my old apartment as we speak. I just assumed that since it is_ my _body and _my_ stuff, it's ultimately my decision where I put both. Mine and Ranger's _only_. And really how important is a marriage certificate when anyone can hop on a plane to Vegas and get married five minutes after landing, and then head to the Dominican Republic and get a divorce the next day? And now you can even convince your drunken roommate to get ordained online so he can be the one pronouncing you husband and wife? That doesn't help the 'sanctity of marriage' argument you always fall back on."

"Even after everything I've done for you, you can act so selfish at times."

"Oh, yeah? How so?"

"First off, I'm going to be the laughing stock of the Burg. Again. It's bad enough that you created that horrible scene with Joseph right after someone threw a bomb at your car. Now you're living with the man who is also your boss. What are people going to say?"

"That I slept my way to the top? That they wish they were me?" Steph said. She took her hand from my leg and covered the one that I had unknowingly curled into a fist."I have no doubt that tongues will be wagging. But instead of wondering where you went wrong, maybe you should start asking yourself why their opinion matters. You don't even like half the people that you're trying to impress. And Ranger is more than my_ boss."_

Finally the Stephanie I've become accustomed to has joined the conversation. She was in control, she wasn't screaming in frustration, and she wasn't turning into her former self at the first hint of her mother's rejection. This is the Stephanie that had been missing during her time with Morelli. The one I'd like to think I had a hand in bringing back. She has effectively put Joe in his place, and she's already dealt with a major contributor to the Burg grapevine. Helen is only person Stephanie has left to knock off her high horse.

"That is quite obvious, Stephanie," Helen said, ignoring the important part of what Stephanie had said, and focusing only on the negative one."And you shouldn't make jokes about using your body to get ahead. You yourself have heard what people have called that Joyce Barnhardt."

"The difference is that it's true when it comes to Joyce. She'd be the first one to tell you that. And Ranger has always been more than my employer," Steph told her."Anyone close to me already knew that. And they are the only ones I care about. Why do you suddenly have a problem with us now? You were fine with Ranger and I being together the last time we were here."

"That's because I thought you were going to do things the proper way this time," she said to Steph."I thought that if I didn't stick my nose in your business, you wouldn't purposely avoid marriage just to get back at me, if in fact you didn't manage to chase off Ranger like you did Joseph."

That pissed me off."There is nothing that Stephanie could _ever _do to chase me off. If anyone does the chasing, it will be me."

Steph turned my head away from Helen and towards her for a quick kiss. She knew I'd happily send Helen packing, and she was trying to refocus my attention so I wouldn't. And against my own better judgement, I let her divert it.

She gave me a slight smile before turning back to her mother.

"So you were still trying to manipulate me?" She said to her mom."I knew something was off when it occurred me that for the first time you weren't fishing for information about our relationship. Too bad this newest scheme isn't going to work, either. We'll get married only if, and when, we want to. And besides, Ranger and I are adults. Our living together isn't hurting anyone."

"What about your nieces?" Her mother asked."Don't you want to set a good example for them? And what about your daughter Julie? How would you feel if she moved in with a man without the benefit of marriage?"

I didn't like discussing my daughter with anyone but her parents, Stephanie, and Tank, but I was going to make an exception in this case.

"If I was sure that he felt about Julie the same way I feel about Stephanie, I wouldn't have an issue with it."

Stephanie's eyes widened_."Really?" _she mouthed to me.

I gave her a clipped nod. I wouldn't like it, but if the guy Julie chose made her happy, and he was with her because he loved her, I'd keep my mouth shut. Of course, if the guy did anything to hurt her, I'd kill him and that would be the end of the problem for everyone.

"Mom," Steph said,"Mary Alice and Angie have seen me covered in blood at the dinner table, on TV with a man threatening to jump to his death, and in the paper burning down the funeral home, me living with Ranger isn't going to shock them."

"Exactly!" Helen said."Why on earth won't you stop getting yourself almost killed and just settle down with a husband and children like your sister?"

"Because ... I'm. Not. Valerie. Don't you get that?"

"But you could be if you'd start acting like an adult, and stop spending your days chasing after hoodlums and dangerous criminals."

Stephanie blew out a breath, steeling herself for the afternoon which was rapidly heading in the direction she feared.

"Let me try this again," Steph said."I _am_ an adult. You and Joe are the only people who won't treat me like one. And as much as I love Valerie, I don't want to be her. I never have."

The front door opened and I saw Valerie and Grandma Mazur walk in. Their timing couldn't have been better. I took Stephanie's hand in my left one and leaned closer to her, resting my right arm across the back of her chair, offering her silent support at the very least if she wouldn't let me handle Helen my way.

"What's going on?" Grandma Mazur asked.

"Did I just hear my name?" Valerie said, standing behind her grandmother, looking curiously from Stephanie to me.

"Hi, Grandma, Val. You might as well sit down," Stephanie said, with the same look she had on her face the night she told Morelli to go to hell.

Go get 'em, Babe, I thought to myself. I had a feeling her relationship with her mother was about to change, too. I just hoped, for Stephanie's sake, that it was for the better.

"Mom and I are about to have a discussion that's long overdue," Stephanie continued saying,"and I don't want to have to repeat it."

And with those words, I fell even more in love with her. She was sexy as hell when she took charge like this, and I knew Helen didn't stand a fucking chance.

**A/N: I was originally going to have the visit with Stephanie's family be only one chapter long but, as usual, after I was done adding in things I hadn't planned on (like the choo-choo discussion) it was already too long to finish the conversation with Helen, so I thought I'd do another chapter told from Stephanie's POV.**


	13. Chapter 13

**I wasn't sure which way this conversation should go at first. I try to keep Janet's version of Stephanie in mind when I write, but it did occur to me that if Stephanie was to grow in Janet's books she'd probably have to have a serious talk with her mother in order to do it. This is just one example of how I think it could go. All characters belong to Janet.**

**Stephanie's POV**

"Stephanie, don't be so melodramatic," my mother said to me.

"I'm not," I told her."I'm trying to tell you how I'm really feeling for once."

"What's this about?" Val asked, sitting down next to my mother.

"Your sister has just informed me that she is moving in with Ranger ... into an _office building_."

I glanced over at Ranger. I told him so. His eyes met mine and crinkled at the corners. Maybe I had a little of this mental telepathy thing myself.

"That's it?" Grandma asked, after she took a chair from the dining room and sat down.

"Yeah," Valerie said."Stephanie has been staying there more and more lately." She turned to me."I _am_ surprised that you gave up your apartment though."

"It was time."

"I'd give up my room upstairs if I could move in with one of those Rangeman hunks," Grandma said.

"Not you too, Mother," my mom said."What about a house? If you_ are _serious about this, shouldn't you be looking for someplace else to live?"

"Why?" I asked her, not hiding how irritated I was with her already."It's actually nice there. It's a lot bigger than my apartment. It has indoor plumbing and even electricity."

"Steph ..." Ranger started to say, but he was shushed by both Valerie and Grandma Mazur.

I think he wanted my mother's attention to be solely on him so she'd get off my back, but this time I didn't need him to ride to my rescue. I knew I was going home with Ranger, and I was leaving behind all my guilt, insecurities, and disappointments before I do.

"Oh, for goodness sakes," my mother said."I'm not saying that the building is a hovel, but aren't you going to need some privacy?"

"Mrs. Plum," Ranger said to her,"you can't get anymore private than my building."

"That's true," I said."You can't even get up to the seventh floor without a special key fob."

"It's like something right out of a James Bond movie," Grandma said to us."Except Ranger's hotter than all of them Bond men put together."

"What about kids?" My mother asked.

"What about them?"

"You'll need a yard for them to play in. Or do you plan on keeping them inside most of the time with all of those men and weapons?"

"Mrs. Plum ..." Ranger tried again, but I didn't give him a chance to finish. Nobody put down my Rangemen.

Under normal circumstances, Ranger would never have let anyone quiet, or talk over, him. Let alone _twice_. But since he didn't threaten to disembowel anyone, I guess he was making an exception for today.

"_Those _men," I said to her, trying to unclench my teeth,"are our _friends_. And if we ever have kids, they'd be incredibly lucky to have _those _men around them. God, this is like my conversation with Morelli all over again. You can say anything you want about me, but _Ranger, his building_, and_ his men _are off limits."

"Excuse me," she said."I didn't mean to sound impolite."

"They hell you didn't!" And for the first time, I was in danger of letting my emotions take over. And that's always proven to be dangerous for me.

"Don't you dare swear at me, young lady."

"Then don't make me have to," I said back."Ranger is just about as perfect as a man can get. And you can't find better men than the ones at Rangeman. I won't put up with you insulting them."

"Steph ..." Valerie said,"she didn't mean anything by it."

"You're wrong, Val," I said, looking at my mother."If she were talking about _Albert _or the people _he's_ friends with, she wouldn't mean anything by it. But if it's _my_ boyfriend and_ my _friends, she meant every word."

"I just want what's best for you, Stephanie," she said.

"No. You want what's best for _you_," I told her."And you want me to supply it. I'm glad that you and Dad have found a way of coexisting all these years. And I was thrilled for Valerie when she and Albert got married. So why can't you feel a little of that for me?"

"I, for one, am happy for you and Ranger," Valerie said, including Ranger in her smile.

"Me, too," Grandma said."And as soon as you're all moved in, I want to be invited over. And I get to use that fancy key to get to it."

"Sure, Grandma," I said, looking over at Ranger.

"It's fine with me, Babe."

"What about me?" Val asked.

"You can come, too," I told her."I'll give you guys a tour of the place. Ranger really has built an impressive company."

"I want to see the gym," Grandma Mazur said."Imagine all that beefcake in one room, all sweaty with their muscles bulging out everywhere." She paused for a beat."Can I bring some friends?"

"No!" I said to her."These are sweet guys with actual feelings. They are not to be treated like they're part of a zoo exhibit or strip club. So I'd better not find a roll of dollar bills in your purse."

"Darn."

Ranger moved his arm from behind me to take my hand again before looking at my mother.

"Mrs. Plum," he said,"I'll extend the invitation to you and Mr. Plum, but only if you agree to be civil to Stephanie."

"I'm her_ mother_, why would you even suggest that I wouldn't be civil?" My mother asked him.

Yep, I got my denial and avoidance skills from her all right.

"Ranger said what he did because he knows that his apartment has always been a safe place for me, in one way or another," I said."And I don't want you to come over just to look for things wrong with it and ruin the serenity of the place."

"I may not agree with what you do, but I have always supported you."

I looked towards the ceiling, and everyone but Ranger glanced up, too.

"What are you looking at?" Valerie asked.

"Yeah, I don't see anything," Grandma added.

"I was just curious to see if a stray lightening bolt was going to come down from the sky and strike one of us for lying."

My mother sighed. Loudly."You're making me out to be some kind of harpy."

"And you always make me sound like an incompetent idiot," I told her. And I didn't even feel sorry for myself when I admitted it. If she didn't want a good relationship with me, I wasn't going to force it. Isn't that what they say about treating addicts? They have to _want _to get help for themselves before they can change. Helen Plum definitely seems addicted to finding faults with me, and so far I have yet to see her want to change. She won't even agree with me that there's a problem in the first place.

"Babe, you are _not_ incompetent. And you never have been," he said, letting go of my hand to turn my face towards his with a fingertip."And I don't want to hear you say that again."

This is exactly why I love Ranger so much. He's all about action. If he saw something that he thought was wrong, he put an end to it. But in this case, he didn't need to. I was through buying into my mother's opinion of me. It was exhausting and, truthfully, it made no sense. I've never been like my mother, have never strived to be more like her, so why should I care if my life didn't please her? It wouldn't, since it's the complete opposite of hers. If Grandma had been disappointed, then I'd be worried. But if I couldn't understand why my mother behaves like she does, I don't know why I expected her to understand _me_.

I brushed my fingers against Ranger's jaw."You remember what I said about your opinion?" I asked him.

"Yes, Babe," he said.

"I meant it," I said to him."Your opinion is the only one that matters to me." Aside from Grandma Mazur, I mentally added. But I think Ranger already knows what my grandmother means to me, even if she did appear bat crap crazy to everyone else.

"Good. Because I think very highly of you."

"I figured that out."

"Stop it," Valerie said."You're making us all jealous."

"Sorry," I said to her, though I wasn't anywhere close to it.

"I don't think of you as incompetent," my mother said."And I certainly do not think of you as an idiot."

"Then why do I always feel like one within five minutes of talking to you? _What will the neighbors say, Stephanie?_ _Why is it always my daughter dragging naked men into the police station?" _I said, repeating what I've heard from her over the last few years."_Why can't you be more like your sister Valerie?"_

"Is that what Grandma and I walked in on?" Valerie asked.

"Yep. It's a classic. She never gets tired of that particular one."

"Why would you say that?" Valerie asked our mom."Wasn't_ I_ the daughter who got knocked up by a man who hyperventilated every time he heard the word_ marriage_? So much so that he had to be tricked into marrying me. By Stephanie, I might add."

"That was a brilliant plan," I said, thinking back on that day with Annie Hart.

"You could have left Diesel out of it," Ranger said to me.

I still had no clue what Ranger knew about Diesel, or vice versa. And I'm not sure I'd ever want to.

"If I'd have known you were open to the idea," I said to him,"I would have asked you to help out instead."

"If he does show up again, Babe, he gets his own place and has to agree to keep ten feet of personal space between you at all times."

"I remember him," Grandma Mazur said."The big, blond guy with the excellent package."

Ranger shot her a look.

"Yours is still bigger," Grandma told him,"but Diesel's a close second."

"_Grandma_ ..." I said, warningly. I didn't want to hear about Diesel's package. And I definitely didn't want her contemplating Ranger's.

"What? It's the truth," she said to me."If you hadn't of finally come to your senses about Ranger, I would've suggested you take him for a trial run since I'm a little too old for him now."

A _little_ too old? _Now?_

"Mother!" My mom said, her cheeks pink from either embarrassment or thinking of a trial run herself.

Eww. That might be even worse than the image of Grandma Mazur and Diesel together.

"There will be no runs with Diesel," I said."Trial or otherwise. And why would I want one? I've got a man who is exceptional in every way, and I don't feel the need to lower my standards."

"Good answer, Babe."

"I'll take him," Grandma said."At my age, I don't got any standards left."

"Diesel seems to have moved on. And he'd have a hard time just appearing where I'm living now, so I doubt you'll see him anytime soon."

"That's a shame, I'll miss him.

"Me, too," Valerie said."I love Albert and all, but he isn't exactly the stuff fantasies are made of. Diesel had potential."

"Diesel's annoying, and an all-around pain in the ass," I told her."He may look okay, but that can't cancel out his personality. And don't forget, you're a married woman."

"I know, but just because I'm married to Albert doesn't mean I've suddenly gone blind. And since I wouldn't have to live with him, Diesel's personality wouldn't matter."

I shook my head at her even though I saw her point. Joe was also nice to look at until he started speaking. Ranger is the perfect blend of both. He offered you something incredible to stare at while also offering encouragement and plenty of useful information.

"You wouldn't understand," Val said to me."Look who you're with."

I followed her eyes to Ranger, who seemed more relaxed than he had been a few minutes ago, and saw him through Valerie's eyes. Yum. But beyond his physical appearance, if you _could _get beyond it, there is also his sense of right and wrong, his mental and physical strength, and a hidden romantic beneath all the sexy statements and innuendo, that made him even sexier to me. I am a freakin' lucky woman. I have a lot to be thankful for and I wasn't going to let my mother detract from it.

"And Valerie is right about her being the one who set the Burg on it's ear," Grandma said, helping herself to the forgotten plate of cookies on the table."Her getting knocked up topped your divorce from the horse's backside."

"Thanks a lot, Grandma," Val said to her.

"Don't get your panties in a twist," she told Val in between bites."It all worked out, didn't it?

"Yes."

"Then be quiet and let me finish the point I was trying to make to your mother."

"And what point is that?" I asked her.

"That she shouldn't care a fig about what people say. Even the nastiest gossips in the Burg forget all about the crap they're spewing as soon as something juicier comes along. I should know, I give those Giovichinni's a run for their money." Grandma winked at me."I even made up a bunch of stuff just to shut their yaps."

"Grandma, that's awful," I said to her.

"No, it isn't. It's survival of the fittest out there. And if you don't want to get eaten up, you got to show them that you're top dog."

Mental note ... no more Animal Planet for Grandma Mazur. But really, it wasn't far off from what Ranger told me. They did seem to have somewhat similar views about life, and methods on how I can take control of mine.

"You know what? I actually agree with you, Grandma," I said to her."And I'm ready to be top dog."

"What kind of nonsense are you two coming up with now?" My mother asked.

"It's not nonsense at all. What I'm saying is that I'm done trying to pacify you. Done following your misguided attempts at pleasing people I don't give a crap about. And more than anything, I'm done waiting for your approval, since it's clear that no matter what I do, I'll never get it. And there are better ways I can spend my time. I have a future that I'm excited about, and you're going to have to prove to me that you deserve to be in it."

Hah! Take that, Mom, I said to myself. It wouldn't be right to jump up and do one of those stupid touchdown dances, but boy did I want to. I was taking no prisoners ... or _parents_ in this case.

Ranger picked up my hand and brought it to his mouth, lightly kissing my knuckles. My mother followed the movement with her eyes, but I stopped paying attention to her once Ranger's lips touched me. I did hear both Valerie and my grandmother sigh. I caught Ranger's eye and smiled at him. This had been easier, and less painful, than I thought it would be. I knew that even if my mother never changed, I still have Ranger, Grandma Mazur, and Valerie. And also Ella, Tank, and all the rest of the Rangeman crew. I'll be fine. Probably_ more _than fine.

I did value Ranger's opinion, and he has always believed that I am someone worth knowing. And the very men Ranger trusted with his own life enjoyed hanging out with me. Obviously likability isn't a problem for me, but it is a major problem for my mother. I'd bet more so after today. And if I had to decide whose judgement I trusted more, I'd have to go with Ranger and his Merry Men. They've seen more, been exposed to more, and lived through way more than my mother ever could. She was born in the Burg, and has spent her entire life here. My mother had nothing, and no one but Grandma Mazur to compare me to. Whereas Ranger and his men have been everywhere, and have met lots of different people. And they saw something in me that I hadn't seen myself until now. So why should I listen to_ her_? If she wanted to live her life in an unsatisfied fishbowl, more power to her, but I wasn't going to keep her company there any longer.

I not only moved out of my apartment yesterday, I had moved out of the Burg mindset and away from the one-dimensional people who would always call it home. The apron strings have been severed, and I was not looking to reattach them. If my mother wanted a chance on making it right, she would have to come to me on my turf to do it.

"I'm with Stephanie and Grandma," Valerie said."I want my girls to grow up and be whatever they want to be, even if it is a horse."

"Mary Alice is fine the way she is, Val," I told her."But just keep an eye on her if she starts looking at the garage roof."

"You were a pip," Grandma Mazur said."Still are."

"Don't encourage her," my mom said.

"Oh, Helen, would you pull that stick out of your behind already," Grandma said back."You're going to lose your daughter if you don't."

"Honestly, Mother, do you have to exaggerate everything?"

"She's not exaggerating, Mom," I said to her."I've been worried about coming over today, but I really shouldn't have been. I was even willing to give you the benefit of the doubt, and I see now how stupid I was. Something has become very clear to me while I've been sitting here. If you can't be happy for me, or us, then it shows that you really don't care about me. I have been tolerating your back-handed compliments, snide remarks, and manipulations only because you're my mother and I love you. But the fact that you can't even _pretend_ to be happy for me means that you obviously don't feel the same. And I'll be damned if I feel guilty for not coming back here. I can see Valerie and Grandma anywhere. I don't need to be at _your_ house to do it. And I'm sure Dad will love to visit Rangeman. He'll have his pick of cars to check out, and men to talk sports with. I have a job, a place to live away from here, and a supportive group of friends. I don't need_ you. _I want to change how things are between us, but not at the expense of everything I've worked towards."

"Stephanie, I ..."

"No, Mom," I said, cutting her off."I'm in a good place now, and I don't want anyone around me who is going to try to ruin it. That's why I've already had this _little talk _with Joe."

"But he loves you!" She said.

"And I believe somewhere deep inside, so do you, but Grandma's right. If you're not going to respect me, Ranger, or what we're building together, then you won't be seeing me again."

"Babe ..."

"No, Ranger, it's for the best," I said, putting my other hand over our joined ones."I know what I'm doing. And keep in mind exactly what that means, Mom. No weekly dinners. No phone calls when you need something at the store. No holiday parties. Is trying to mold me into another version of yourself really worth all that you'd be losing if you don't get your way? Maybe you need to start thinking of all the things I do for you, and less about the things you think I've done wrong. I'm telling you the same thing that I told Joe, either accept me as I am, or stay the hell out of my way!"

Shit. I was trying to stay collected and calm, but it's like a damn had burst and everything I've wanted to say to her is now pouring out.

Her eyes swung to Ranger. I wasn't lying when I told him that I knew what my mother was thinking.

"Don't even try to put this on Ranger," I told her, my eyes set on death glare. I'd protect Ranger before I'd even think of protecting myself. And I knew Ranger felt the same way for me. Scrog pretty much showed me that."If you would've taken the time to get to know Ranger, you would see that he wouldn't want me to be without my family, because he knows it would hurt me. But you haven't even attempted to learn anything at all about the people in my life._ You _and _I _are the ones responsible for letting things get to this point. You, for constantly bullying me. And me for letting you. I couldn't say anything growing up, but I could have stopped it, should have stopped it, after I moved out. And that was a mistake on my part. But don't go dragging Ranger into this. He wanted us to work this out as much as I did. Because he knows how important my family is to me. No matter how dysfunctional we all are."

"And Ranger's been standing up for Stephanie, and protecting her, ever since she started working for that weasel Vinnie," Grandma said."And that pervert is a member of the family that_ you _married into, Helen. And I didn't say anything about them then, though I could have. They're all a bunch of good for nothings."

"Dad isn't at all like Vinnie," I told her, trying not to shudder at the thought of my quiet, reliable, some might say boring, father being like Vinnie.

"Stephanie isn't looking for a cheering section," Ranger said."She just needs the people she loves to love her back without any conditions placed on it."

I smiled at him. Knowing what I do about Ranger now, I wanted back the time I spent trying to conform to Morelli's idea of what a girlfriend should be. If I would have concentrated on convincing Ranger that he couldn't live without me, I might be a badass by now, too. I certainly felt like one at the moment, and all I was doing was telling my mother everything that I'd been holding in.

"Your father is a good man," my mother said."He has always worked to provide a comfortable life for us. He doesn't drink ..."

"No," Grandma said,"_you're_ the one who does the drinking."

Everyone laughed except my mother. She was busy narrowing her eyes at us. Hey, if a shot of whiskey calmed her down, who was I to say anything about it? It had to be better than all those drugs out there that could make you grow a third nipple or hair on your tongue.

"Ranger is also a good man if you could be bothered to notice," Grandma Mazur said to my mother."He's treated Stephanie better than you have."

"I feel like you are all ganging up on me," my mother said."Did the four of you set this up?"

"Nope," I said."This is a happy accident. And this is supposed be about_ me _not _you_. I'm the injured party, remember?"

Her mouth thinned."You don't sound injured."

"I know, isn't it great?"

"Stephanie, there is no need for you to be rude," she said to me.

"Apparently there is, because being nice didn't seem to help me out any. I figured I should try something new."

"Sarcasm isn't any better than rudeness."

"Again, trying something new. Is it working?"

My mother looked confused."Is what working?"

I blew out a sigh. This visit was pointless. Although it was nice to see her shoulders hunched defensively instead of mine for a change. But it wasn't going to help us resolve anything.

Maybe we needed time apart so she'd realize that she actually missed me. I had a job, three actually if I counted running searches, and being the new 'ambassador' to Rangeman on top of bounty hunting. Plus I had Ranger, Mary Lou, and everyone back at Ranger's building. I have a full life. My mother wasn't so lucky. She has my dad who barely speaks. My Grandma Mazur who was no doubt going to be pissed at her, since she's the one who used to bake me cookies every time I ran away from home. And Valerie had her hands full raising three kids and helping out Albert at his office when he needed it. My mother was going to be relying on those Burg busybodies to fill the hours in her day. And that may work to my advantage. I was more entertaining than they could ever hope to be. And while my mother was figuring that out for herself, I was going to go ahead and live my life.

Not having to listen to Joe cut me down every day has made my life a lot better, and I have a sneaking suspicion that the same would be true with my mother. I would win either way. If she didn't change, I'd be only speaking to the members of my family who love and appreciate me. No more _why me's_? No more hearing how great Joe is in comparison to me. No more talking about how my uterus is going to dry up if I didn't use it soon. Suddenly being free of all of that sounded pretty damn good to me.

"Are you ready to leave?" Ranger asked me.

He'd stayed mostly quiet, letting me decide how I wanted to handle this. And I couldn't be more grateful to him for that alone. I know Ranger would have been more effective in talking to my mother, but he knew I needed to get a few things off my chest. Now that I have, I could get a Pino's sub on the way home and not worry about calories, because I swear I feel five pounds lighter already.

"Yes," I told him."I think I am. I'm not accomplishing anything here."

"Helen, don't you dare let her walk out that door," Grandma said.

"It's okay, Grandma," I told her."I don't want to hear anything that isn't sincere. And she's not there yet. I didn't think she would be, but this time I'm not going to hang around waiting for her to be."

"Mom?!" Valerie said.

I locked eyes with Ranger and we were both thinking the same thing, my mother was going to get her ass chewed out as soon as we left.

"Why are you yelling at me?" My mother asked."You should be yelling at _him. _If Stephanie hadn't taken up with him, we wouldn't be having this discussion."

"This isn't a _discussion_," I told her, my voice steadily getting raising again."You need to have two people listening to each other to call it a _discussion_. This turned into a _fight_ the second you started in on Ranger! He has never criticized, or said a bad word against, anyone I care about unless it was deserved! You and Morelli are exactly the same! You go around blaming everyone else for what's wrong in your life without even considering the possibility that _you_ could be the cause of it! Why is admitting that you've messed up such a big deal to both of you?! Especially when you expect me to do it on a daily basis!"

I knew Ranger was angry about some of the things they have done to me, but he has never sunk to their level of badmouthing them just to make himself look better. He _was_ better. Period.

"Babe, you don't have to defend me," Ranger said, brushing my fingers with his thumb."Let her say what she wants about me, it's not important."

"It's_ very _important to me," I told him. This is where Ranger and I are different. He doesn't pay any attention to insults or derogatory comments made against him. Sometimes, I even think he found it amusing when someone did try to offend him. I, on the other hand, tell myself it doesn't bother me until I've had a really bad day and everything negative that's ever been said to, or about me, comes roaring back. Today was different. I didn't take anything my mother said seriously. It was almost as if she had some type of recorder and pressed play when I was hoping for an honest response from her, just repeating everything she's been saying without giving it any serious thought. But she made a huge error by turning on Ranger, and I couldn't let that go.

"Stephanie ..." she started to say in that slightly patronizing tone she'd perfected on me.

"No, you've said enough," I told her."Ranger is one of the greatest people I know. He came over here today out of respect for my parents, and to be there for me if something like this happened. And you've questioned his intentions, his motives, and even his character. Who do you think sounds like the worst person out of the two of you?"

"You tell her, Stephanie!" Grandma said."She's always bragging about how she goes to church every Sunday, but her words and actions aren't very _God_-like. Are they, Helen? You may need to go more often after today."

"Ever since I almost became a piece of fried Stephanie ..." I said.

"Babe," Ranger said in a dark tone.

Another difference between us. What went on between us when I got back to Ranger's apartment that night was what stood out in my mind. Ranger remembered me reeking of smoke while clinging to his body after another close call, our arms wrapped too tight around each other, both thanking God that I was still alive.

"Sorry," I said to him. And I was for scaring him, but I wouldn't change any of the events that led to our _someday_."Anyway, since that night I realized just how short life is. It really can end at anytime with no warning. And I'd left a lot unsaid up until that point. That's what the fight with Joe was really about. He didn't care that I almost died."

Ranger squeezed my hand in comfort. I've never had to question whether Ranger cared about me, what kind of love he felt for me and if he wanted to be with me, maybe. But there was not a day that went by that I didn't know Ranger cared if I lived or died. Joe and my mother on the other hand ...

"I realized when he was standing there yelling at me, Joe couldn't love me like I needed him to." This was a little difficult to do in front of everyone, but especially in front of my mother. The only other person's love for me that I've questioned."And while I was thinking about how to tell you about my change in address, it occurred to me that how you've treated me isn't all that different than how Joe did."

"That's not true," my mother said.

"It is, Mom," Valerie told her."How many times have I walked in while you were on the phone, agreeing with something Mrs. Gaieski or Mrs. Kanakis said about Stephanie's job?"

"That's different. Her job is too dangerous for her."

"That's exactly what Joe said, too. He never understood that my job is a part of who I've become. A pretty big part."

"And if it wasn't for Stephanie's job," Ranger said to my mother,"you wouldn't have Lisa. Valerie would never have met Albert if he wasn't involved in a case that _your _neighbor wanted Stephanie's help with because she's a bounty hunter. Would you wish away Lisa along with Stephanie's job?"

"You should be thanking Stephanie," Grandma added,"for getting your other daughter a job, a husband, and another child all in one fell swoop."

My mother was quiet. No shock there. She only likes logic when it helps_ her _case.

"If Mom isn't going to say thank you," Valerie said,"then I will. I should say it anyway, thank you for my cuddle-umpkins."

"Jeez, Val, how many times do I have to ask you to please stop calling him that?" I said to her.

"Ranger calls you_ Babe_," she said."And _Ranger_ is a nickname, isn't it?"

Even after growing up, and the years we were apart when Valerie lived in California, I still hate when she's right about something. Though _Ranger_ and _Babe_ are light-years better than cuddle-umpkins and snuggle bear. I still want to either throw up or roll my eyes whenever Valerie and Kloughn start with the pet names. Mostly throw up, since snuggle bear is pretty disgusting.

"I've got a lot of people around me now who actually care about _me, _not about who I_ could _be," I said to my mother, getting the conversation, or what was left of it, back on track."And I'm quickly learning the difference."

"Proud of you, Babe," Ranger said, quietly.

"Thank you," I said, just as softly."What you said before we left the apartment has had a chance to sink in."

"What exactly is it that you want from me?" My mother asked.

"If you even have to ask, then there's no reason to keep talking," I told her."I've been very open about what I want, and you obviously can't, or won't, give it to me so I think it's time we left."

"Helen, don't leave it like this. Say something," Grandma said, as Ranger and I stood up.

"What can I do?" My mother asked."She's not going to listen to anything I have to say now."

"You had an hour, if not more, to say anything you wanted to. And you wasted it on attacking Ranger and thinking I'm irrational for being upset at all!" I said to her, my voice getting louder again.

Damn it! I didn't want to lose control now. Oh shut up, Stephanie, I told myself, I was _standing up _for us, not trying to_ defend _us. I can be as loud as I frickin' want! But after a moment, I blew out a breathe. Then I did it again. I wasn't going to give her the satisfaction of wrecking this day for me. I've already had one of the best mornings to date and, as I looked at my watch, we still have most of the daylight hours left and I'm sure we can salvage what's left of them. I hiked my bag up onto my shoulder, and Ranger placed his hand on my back, lightly rubbing the tension from it.

"Valerie, you and Grandma work out a day when you both can make it over for a visit," I told her,"and give me a call."

"Sure, Steph," Valerie said."I'll talk to dad and see if he can make it, too."

"Thank you," I told her, giving her a quick hug."You can bring Albert and the girls if you want."

"No way. I want a chance to really see the place before I let my brood loose in it."

I love my nieces, and Albert has kind of grown on me, but they are a disaster just looking for a place to happen.

"You take care of my granddaughter," Grandma Mazur told Ranger.

I rolled my eyes at her."It's not like I'm leaving Trenton, Grandma. I live less than twenty minutes away."

"I will, Mrs. Mazur," Ranger said to my grandmother, both of them ignoring my reassurance."And you are welcome anytime at Rangeman."

"Seeing as how we're almost family, you can drop that Mrs. Mazur business. Edna is fine."

"All right, Edna," Ranger said, giving her a hint of his hundred-watt smile.

"Oh lordy," Grandma said, fanning herself with her hand."I just had a hot flash."

I've had those to around Ranger, and I knew menopause had nothing to do with them.

Ranger stopped and looked over at my mother."Mrs. Plum, I had hoped for more amicable results by coming here, but I'm not sorry that because of your own attitude I won't be forced to share Stephanie with someone who can't see what an amazing woman she's turned out to be, despite you being the one who raised her."

He took the car keys out of his pocket and walked me to the door, not looking back to see if his words scored a direct hit. Ranger said what he wanted to and he didn't care how they affected her. I was a little tempted to check myself, but what I said earlier was true, I was done looking back.

"I'll see you later, Grandma." It was strange not having my mother follow us out, but I know from personal experience, that _strange_ isn't necessarily_ bad_.

"You bet your patooty you will. I want to see every inch of Ranger's building," she said."Do you get one of those badges with your picture on it if you visit regularly?"

"I'm sure I can talk someone into making you one." I did feel like she needed a few ground rules before coming over."Just remember that the locker room and bathrooms are off limits," I told her."And I'm going to warn the guys not to fall for your _proper pat down _trick."

"You're going to spoil all my fun," Grandma said."You know there's a right way to do everything, and I'm sure giving a pat down is no different."

"Grandma believe me, there plenty of things to do there without getting a harassment charge brought up against you."

"I'm an old lady, they can't throw me in the slammer. I got rights."

"You do," I told her,"but none of them include fondling men against their will."

"Humph."

"Bye, Grandma."

"And don't worry about your mother, I'm going to give her a good talking to and make her fix this."

"That's just it," I told her."You can't _make_ her. She has to figure out that she screwed up on her own. And if she _doesn't _figure it out, I'm okay with it._ Knowing _that she's upset with me will definitely be a lot quieter than_ hearing _her be upset at me."

"I sometimes wish I would have done the same thing you're doing now before I married your Grandpa and started a family," Grandma said. And for just a second, I caught a glimpse of longing for the life she never had in her eyes before she attempted a smile."But if I had, you wouldn't be here now. So I can't regret it."

Why is it that kind words always make you more emotional than angry ones?

I hugged Grandma before following Ranger to his Turbo. He waited until my seatbelt was fastened before closing the door and slipping into the driver's seat.

"You did good, Steph," He said to me."I really am proud of you."

"I'm proud of me, too."

He leaned across the console and kissed me. He pulled back a few seconds later and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear."Are you ready to go back to Rangeman?" He asked.

"No," I told him."I want to make two stops before we head home."

Ranger's lips curved up at the corners when I said _home_.

"Where to?" He asked me.

"Pino's first for a meatball sub for me and probably a salad for you."

"You need a sub?" He asked."I thought you were holding up well considering everything that was said."

"I just figured I could use some of your concern - which is not needed by the way - to score myself a sub," I told him."You know, in case you decided to feel sorry for me."

"Nice try, Babe," he said,"but I could never feel sorry for you."

"How about I threaten to call you cuddle-umpkins in front of everyone if you don't drive me to Pino's?"

Ranger thought about it for a few seconds. It _was_ a tough decision for him. My health or his manhood. Since there was no telling what Tank would do with a well-placed cuddle-umpkins comment.

"You win," Ranger said."But we're having poached chicken and steamed vegetables for dinner."

The high of winning a verbal throwdown twice in one day made me able to stomach the thought of what I was going to have to eat tonight.

"Where else do you need to go today?" Ranger asked."You said you wanted to stop at two places."

I smiled over at him."I have to find a frame."

"A frame?"

"You know, it's what you put pictures in. I know you've seen them."

"Funny, Babe. I'm aware of what they are," he said to me."I want to know what you need one for."

"Actually, I need a few. For now, though, I want something special for a picture of me and Grandma. I was planning on going through my photos anyway, but today seems like an appropriate one to finally frame it."

I wanted to do something to acknowledge my Grandma Mazur after what she had done for me today. Once again, taking my side against my mother by approving of my decision to move in with Ranger, and not trying to get me to back down and still visit the house. Thanks to Ranger and Grandma, the thought of my mother will only cause a small twinge instead of a full-blown ache.

As a girl, I used to feel like it was Grandma Mazur and I against the world. Now Ranger and his Rangeman family were standing right there alongside us. And since I didn't have pictures of Ranger, other than the ones involved in the Scrog investigation, or a company photo of everyone, I was going to begin with the one person who from the time I was born, to this very day, still believes in me.


	14. Chapter 14

**I wasn't sure if this chapter had a place in Ranger and Stephanie's story, but a few of you mentioned Frank in your reviews, and wondered about his reaction to what went on between Stephanie and Helen, so I thought this would be a good way of bringing him into the story. Even though this chapter is from Helen's point of view, I still tried to keep it centered around about Ranger and Stephanie. All characters belong to Janet.**

**Helen's POV**

It has been a week since Stephanie walked out of our house vowing never to speak to me again. And I am still in shock. I was driving around the Burg, completing made up errands to keep myself busy and out of the house now that my mother had taken over my kitchen. And I was replaying what happened over and over again in my mind.

I didn't see this coming. I thought Stephanie and I had a good relationship. We had dinner together at least once a week, and before she so publicly ended things with Joseph, Stephanie was coming over to do laundry and have lunch with her grandmother and I a couple of times a week. Now, Ranger has been taking up all of her time. It seems like she doesn't have any left for her own family anymore, and acting like she doesn't need _me_ anymore. What daughter treats her mother like that?

I wasn't going to admit that all of Stephanie's talk about how great Ranger's housekeeper Ella is had me a little jealous. I know it shouldn't, because there is no replacement for a girl's mother, but the feeling is there all the same. _Ella_ made them a delicious dinner almost every night. _Ella_ did all the shopping for Ranger's company. And that included picking out clothes for Stephanie, something she hasn't let me do since she turned seven years old._ Ella _is the one who cleans up any of Stephanie's injuries if it was something minor like a cut or scrape. All things I, Stephanie's mother, should be doing for her. And now she will be living in the same building with that woman permanently. I couldn't help but feel that Stephanie was swapping out one life for another. Replacing Joe with Ranger and me with Ella. And I was frightened by the sudden shift.

And in an hour or so, my mother, Valerie, and even Frank would be getting ready for dinner at that God forsaken Rangeman building. I know that I didn't handle Stephanie's decision to leave her apartment very well, but who would want that kind of life for their daughter? She'd be living with a whole building full of unsavory men. Stephanie hasn't said it, but I knew a few of them had to have seen the inside of a prison cell at one time. It just wasn't safe for her there. I know she claims to have a friendship with them, but men like that are only after one thing. And although Ranger appears to be a respected businessman in the community, that doesn't make him the right man for Stephanie. I've known her longer than anyone else. I carried her for close to nine months for goodness sakes. If anyone should know what is best for Stephanie, it should be me. My mistake was saying all of that out loud, and I lost control of everything as soon as I did.

And boy was Frank mad when he came home that day and found my mother, Valerie, and I all glaring at each other in silence. He drove in ten minutes after Stephanie decided to leave, and to say that I was still stunned at that point would be a gross understatement. I thought Stephanie would complain that I was butting into her life like she's always accusing me of doing, instead she walked out the door without a backwards glance. I was trying to tell myself that she didn't mean what she said but, deep down, I was starting to have doubts.

Frank had come into the house and stood looking at all of us.

"What did I miss?" He asked."I wasn't gone long enough for anything as bad as what your faces are showing to have taken place."

"That's what you say now," my mother told him,"but once you hear what your wife did, you'll see that there was plenty of time for all hell to break loose."

"What happened?" Frank asked.

"Stephanie and Ranger came over to tell everyone that she's moving in with him," Valerie said.

"They didn't wait for me to be here?" He asked us.

"Guess not. When Grandma and I came in, things were already going from bad to worse."

Frank looked over at me."What did you do, Helen?"

"I didn't_ do _anything, Frank," I told him."I voiced a few of my concerns and Stephanie misunderstood what I said and overreacted to it."

"What did she_ 'misunderstand'_, Helen?" My mother asked."You slammed the men she works with, vilified Ranger, and picked apart something Stephanie was excited about."

"I think you've said enough, Mother," I told her. I had to tell my side of the story before Frank jumped to conclusions.

"You haven't heard half of what I want to say to you right now, Helen. And you should be damn glad that I haven't told you just what an uptight, sanctimonious, self-centered person you proved to be today."

My mouth dropped open. I can't believe that's what she thought of me. I know she's close to Stephanie, but I didn't think she'd completely turn on me for not being overjoyed that Stephanie would decide this without even talking to me first.

"When you say Stephanie is _moving in_ with Ranger," Frank said,"did you mean that she's already living in his building?"

"Yes!" I said to him. Finally, someone else is going to say what a bad idea that is.

"Thank God," he said, instead.

"Frank?" I said.

"I never liked the apartment she was living in," he said."It was too easy to break into, and those neighbors of hers were crazier than Edna."

My mother smiled at him like that was supposed to be a compliment. Sometimes I think I am the only sane member of this family.

"Now that Stephanie's staying with Ranger," Frank continued,"I won't have to worry about her so much."

I turned to him."You're not serious?" That was the last thing I thought I would hear him say.

"Yes, Helen. I am. And if Stephanie wants to live with Ranger, then I'm fine with it."

"But, Frank, what will people say?" I asked him. The wives of the men at the lodge will be hard enough to listen to, never mind the Burg as a whole. Those Trenton Told-You-So's will be out in full force.

"Who cares what anyone says?" He said to me."This is Stephanie's decision, not ours, and not theirs. And she must have thought a lot about it if she's willing to do something she hasn't even considered since she divorced that bastard Dickie."

"It's about darn time you speak up, Frank," my mother said to him."I worried that Helen had nagged all the fight out of you."

"Mother!"

"Oh, put a sock in it, Helen. One of Stephanie's parents needs to be the voice of reason here, and it might as well be Frank since you've already messed everything up. You should be thinking about how to get Stephanie back here instead of trying to cover your own behind."

"What are you talking about?" Frank asked her."Why wouldn't Stephanie come here?"

"Well, don't pick now to be quiet, Helen," she said."Speak up. Tell Frank all about how you harped on your daughter so much that Stephanie told you she wasn't going to be here for dinners or anything else ever again."

"You're not helping,_ Mother_," I told her in complete exasperation.

Frank's eyes had been on me while my mother was speaking, and I could tell the moment they shifted from a questioning look into an accusing stare. This is the first time he used that expression on me instead of on his mother-in-law.

"Good," she said."I wasn't trying to help you. Frank, you have to do something, because it's obvious that Helen won't."

"Yeah, Dad," Valerie said."I've never seen Stephanie like that. She was angry, but determined not to be. I think she's serious. Until Mom accepts her for who she is, and stops finding faults with Ranger, Stephanie's not going to talk to her. She did invite you, Grandma, and I over for dinner this week, though."

"Ranger was nice enough to invite Helen, too, but only if she behaved herself," my mother said."Needless to say, Helen here wasn't promising anything."

"Helen?" Frank said.

"Frank, I was upset ..."

"So was Stephanie," Valerie said."But at least Stephanie was making sense. Nothing she wanted was unreasonable. She only asked that you don't disrespect Ranger or anyone associated with him. And that you start treating her better."

"What exactly did you say to Stephanie?" Frank asked me.

"Nothing that shouldn't have been brought up," I said.

I could hear my mother's snort of derision. After all the time I put into ensuring that my family was cared for now, one by one, they were turning against me. Why? I want the same things they do for Stephanie. For her to have her own home, a happy family inside of it, and married to a man who can give her both. What is so wrong with that? But Stephanie had to choose a man who lives like he's visiting an upscale hotel, with someone doing the cooking and cleaning for him daily, complete with round the clock room service. A man who also isn't interested in doing right by her. Stephanie tried to say that _she_ was the reason they weren't making their relationship official, but I knew it had to have been his decision. And she would do whatever Ranger wanted. I think Stephanie may be a little blinded by how handsome Ranger is and the 'power' he seems to have over everyone. What woman wouldn't be? But that can't be the basis of a solid relationship.

Frank had been studying my face."What did you say?" He asked again.

"That she shouldn't move into that building. If they were actually serious about doing this, then they should have found another place to live," I told him. I had nothing to be ashamed of. I love Stephanie. And I would do anything to protect her. Even if that means angering the people closest to us."I also told Stephanie that she shouldn't have rushed into anything until Ranger promised her a commitment."

"How do you know he didn't?" Valerie asked."Everyone who sees the way Ranger is with Stephanie knows that he'd do_ anything _for her."

"Then he should be able to give her a ring, shouldn't he?" I said to her. How did I become the bad guy here?

"Jesus," Frank said."No wonder she took off. I would have, too."

"Her temperament comes from you, Frank." I told him, with no small amount of satisfaction.

"Edna, Valerie, I think Helen and I need to talk," Frank told them."Would you excuse us?"

I've never heard that tone from him in all the years we have been married, and I started to feel a little bit apprehensive. The sudden change in Frank's normally unflappable demeanor, and seeing him so concerned about this, made Stephanie's words finally sink in. I didn't take her threat of not talking to me seriously, but Frank did. And now I was starting to wonder if maybe she did mean it. But you can't just cut all ties to your mother, can you? Look at me and my own mother. Even though we have our differences, I still insisted that she move in with Frank and I after my father died. Children are supposed to be there to take care of their parents.

"It's about time you woke up and became a parent in this," my mother said to Frank."You've been sitting there stuffing pot roast in your mouth year after year, and letting your wife railroad Stephanie. Now you'd better find a way of getting her to see, and admit, that she owes Stephanie a whopper of an apology."

"I'll handle this, Edna," Frank said.

"What about me?" I asked her.

Didn't anyone care about what I was going through? I'm the one Stephanie is mad at after all.

"What about _you_?" My mother said."Do you think Stephanie wanted to tell you that you hurt her? That girl is full up to the brim with pride, and she would never have admitted how you've made her feel unless she was ready for it to change."

"What is yelling at me going to change?"

"She wasn't yelling, Mom," Valerie said."Not really. She was much calmer than I know I would've been."

"And the fact that you just asked that is why Stephanie left," my own mother said to me."She's all yours, Frank. I hope you have better luck. If this keeps up, we're going to turn into one of those screwy reality show families."

"Come on, Grandma," Valerie said."You can come with me. Albert and the kids aren't home so we can talk all we want about what we're going to wear, and bring over, to Stephanie and Ranger's."

"I'm gonna make her my famous chocolate chip cookies. Stephanie told me that they're her favorite," she said, while glancing over at me.

Stephanie may like my mother's cookies, but I know she loves my chocolate torte. I was just thinking that this would be the perfect time to make it for her, when it occurred to me that I wasn't going to be able to. I'd been uninvited.

I glanced up and saw my mother watching me. She gave me a knowing look as if she'd purposely mentioned the cookies to drive that exact point home.

"Maybe I should make some brownies, too," she said."I heard that the way to a man's heart is through his stomach. I bet I can land one of those hunks with my brownies. Maybe even two of them if I double the recipe."

"Grandma, remember what Stephanie said," Valerie told her."You're not supposed to be shopping for a boy toy while we're there."

"I'm only trying to be friendly."

"Yeah, right," Valerie said."We're taking off, Dad. I hope you can get through to her." And she gave me a dirty look.

"I am still your mother, Valerie," I said, sharply."Don't you get smart with me."

I honestly don't know what had come over everyone today.

"You may be my mother, but Stephanie is my sister. And I'm not trashing the relationship we finally have by pretending that you're not dead wrong about Stephanie, Ranger, and their relationship."

Valerie picked up her purse and waited for my mother to get her things and then they left me alone to face a furious Frank.

"Why did you do it, Helen?" He asked me, making an effort at keeping his temper in check.

"I don't know what you mean," I told him."I was only thinking about Stephanie's welfare, and she took what I said the wrong way."

"According to what all three of you have told me, how could she have possibly taken _anything_ the wrong way? You seem to have been clear on wanting to alienate both of them."

"After telling everyone how much she likes being self-sufficient, Stephanie never should have offered to give up the life she had until she was sure of Ranger's motives."

"His motives? Ranger seems like a man who thinks very carefully about all of his actions before he makes a move," Frank said to me."And Stephanie wouldn't have gone along with anything unless she wanted to. Her independence is very important to her. She was seeing Joe Morelli for a lot longer, and she never stayed with him for more than a few weeks before hightailing it back to her own apartment."

"Exactly!" He was starting to see this from my perspective."What does this man have that Joseph didn't? It's rumored that Ranger is very well off."

Frank's lips thinned and he narrowed his eyes. What did I say now? Why is everyone twisting my words around? I only want Stephanie to be happy. Why doesn't anybody understand that?

"Helen, stop talking," he said, angrier now than I have ever seen him."Do not think for a second that Stephanie is with a man because of his bank account. That is _not_ the person she is. And shame on you for suggesting it."

My mouth dropped open."Of course she's not after his money. I wasn't trying to imply that she was. But there has to be a reason why she would choose to live with Ranger without getting married first, instead of settling for Joseph when he has asked her many times."

"You just answered your own question," he said."Because Stephanie would be_ settling _for Morelli when she's obviously in love with Ranger. Haven't you seen the change in Stephanie since she told Joe to go to hell?"

"Frank!"

"Don't you dare _Frank_ me. This is just as much my house as it is yours. And now, thanks to you, I won't be able to see my own daughter in it. When I asked you to marry me, I knew what I was in for. I let you make the rules, and I was fine with that. But you've gone too far and I'm drawing a line where our children are concerned. Stephanie shouldn't have been put into the position of choosing between the man she loves and her own family. And if I would have been here, she wouldn't have had to. God knows Albert wouldn't be my choice for Valerie, but_ I _kept my mouth shut because she's happy with him. And _you_ should have done the same."

"But what's to stop Ranger from getting Stephanie pregnant and dumping her?" I told him."He's already shown that he can walk away from a child."

"Did you not see what that man went through when he found out that his daughter and _our _daughter were being held hostage?" Frank said."Ranger didn't hesitate in walking to his own death to get both of them free. I believe he loves that little girl, despite the arrangement he made with her mother. Stephanie didn't want to tell us everything that happened after she left here, but I talked to Eddie Gazarra not long after, and he told me what Ranger had done that night. Ranger informed everyone involved that he was going in alone, and he wouldn't listen to anyone who advised him against it. All he cared about was getting _his_ child and _our _child away from that monster."

I could feel tears threaten as I thought about how close Stephanie came to dying.

"And I'm grateful that he was there for Stephanie," I said to Frank.

"You don't seem too grateful to him, or thankful that he got Stephanie out of that alive."

"Frank, that's a horrible thing to say."

"Then make me believe that it's not true," he said."Why couldn't you tell Ranger that you're glad that he has been continually watching over Stephanie? Or you could have at least told Stephanie how proud you were of her for doing everything she could to save a child she had never met. I, for one, know that I couldn't ask for better daughters than the ones I have. And Ranger is a good man, Helen. And he has done nothing to warrant your bad opinion of him. Did you know that Ranger and his men were the ones who found her when she was taken by Constantine Stiva? Ranger protected her, and gave her a safe place to stay, when those Slayers were after her, and again when that worthless ex-husband of hers got Stephanie involved in his shady business dealings. And after Vinnie saw her being taken by Bluttovich's henchmen, he called Ranger. Not the police, not Joe, but_ Ranger _because he believed Ranger would know what to do in order to save her. Ranger has put himself in jeopardy multiple times, and has been shot more than once, trying to help or protect _your_ daughter."

"Protection my daughter wouldn't need if she would just quit her job at that bonds office," I said to him."How do you know all of this anyway?"

"_You_ listen to whatever is being repeated at the dry cleaners or bakery, _I_ find out the truth by asking the people who have witnessed it first-hand. I love my daughters. And I will always look out for them. Even if they don't know I'm doing it."

"_You_ were the one to suggest Stephanie ask about a job with that disgusting Vinnie to begin with."

"First off, I suggested she take a_ filing _job," he told me, still not agreeing with me on anything."I didn't know she'd accidentally become a bounty hunter. But despite all the danger she has been exposed to, I really think this job suits her."

"Why on earth would you say something like that?!" I asked, my voice sounding shrill even to my own ears.

"Stephanie wasn't happy working in Newark for that underwear company. She's not the type of person to suffer through a steady 9-5 job just to get a paycheck. She needs something less routine. While I don't like the fact that she's constantly being threatened, in becoming a bond enforcer, Stephanie seems to have found what her life had been lacking. I was worried for a while that being with Joe was going to cause her to revert back to how things were before, when she was just forcing herself to get through each day. Luckily, she figured the same thing out herself, dumped Joe, and started seeing Ranger. He's not only been a good influence on her, he can also keep an eye on her while she's doing a job that she seems to be steadily getting better at."

"And if Stephanie has just got herself into more trouble?"

"How so?" He asked.

"What if Ranger involves her in something more dangerous than she's ever had to face, even after working for Vinnie? I know some people think Ranger is an upstanding member of society, but I've heard a few things ..."

"Stop it, Helen," Frank said, interrupting me."You need to back off and stop listening to people who don't know what the hell they're talking about. I learned a long time ago to judge a person by their actions alone. Not on rumors, or reputation, but on what I've seen them do with my own eyes. And Ranger has been unflinchingly supportive of Stephanie. First as a mentor, then as a friend, and now as the man she wants to live with. She shouldn't have been attacked by her own mother for wanting to share something with us. And there is no way I'm being cut out of my daughter's life because of you. You owe it to Stephanie to make this up to her, but I'm not sitting around here until you do. If Stephanie doesn't want to come here, then I'll go to her."

"She was just caught up in the heat of the moment, Frank. She'll be back."

"For the love of God, Helen! When are you going to get that Stephanie doesn't want the life we have? And right now, neither do I. Don't bother with dinner," he told me heading to the door,"I'm going out."

And we are still walking on eggshells around each other. And that's why, as I was passing by the deli, I decided to stop and pick up some of Frank's favorite pastrami for his lunch tomorrow.

I was waiting for my order to be weighed and wrapped when Darcy Rowanson came up to me.

"Hi, Helen. How are you?" She asked me.

I knew she was only asking because she felt she had to. I could tell right away that she had something other than my health on her mind.

"I'm good," I said, waiting for her to spit out whatever it was. I wasn't saying anything more. And I definitely wasn't telling _anyone_ how I really felt. Which at this point was lonely, frustrated, and annoyed at myself. But no one needed to know that.

"I bumped into Stephanie yesterday," Darcy told me,"and she said that she was having her family over for dinner tonight. You must be so excited. I always wanted to see what the inside of that building looked like. I've heard a lot about Carlos Manoso, and I don't blame Stephanie one bit for wanting to snatch him up. Joe Morelli is a good catch if you're going by Burg standards, but that Manoso is something else entirely."

I wasn't about to inform one of the biggest gossips in Trenton that I wasn't welcome in my own daughter's home. I'm sure everyone would love to hear about that. '_Oh, how the mighty have fallen' _they'd say to each other. The same women that had asked me to lunch last week would be whispering behind my back at how my family had failed to live up to my own ideals. And they are all a bunch of hypocrites. Ernestine Cossette's daughter was arrested for driving under the influence last month. Tina Martignetti's son was caught inside Maria Kaplan's bedroom without any clothes on by Maria's husband. And Darcy's own brother is known to gamble away more money than he earned, borrowing from any relative still speaking to him. They had no right to judge me. They couldn't hold a candle to _my_ husband and _my _children. I didn't need any of these people feeling sorry for me, either. I just needed my family back the way it was.

I was saved from having to make small talk when the young man behind the deli counter handed me my order.

"Here you are, Mrs. Plum."

"Thank you, Michael," I said to him, and handing him his money.

He's always so nice to me when I come in here. And I thought his mother had done an excellent job raising him, his manners are impeccable. Michael is around Stephanie's age and has been working here at the deli since he moved to Trenton six months ago. Why couldn't Stephanie have fallen for someone like him?

"Um ... I was wondering," Michael said, suddenly shy."Is your daughter Stephanie seeing anyone? I heard she broke up with Joe Morelli and might be dating someone else, but I was hoping it wasn't serious yet. I always wanted to ask her out, but once I found out that she was seeing Morelli I didn't think I had a shot."

"You didn't," Darcy said."There's only one guy in Trenton who could beat out Joseph Morelli, and Stephanie's already nabbed him."

"Oh, that's too bad," Michael said, sighing."I would have tried talking to her sooner, but I sort of thought Stephanie was way out of my league."

"Don't say that, Michael," I told him."I'm sure Stephanie would have been flattered by your interest, but as Darcy so bluntly pointed out, Stephanie's with someone now and I don't see that changing."

And then it suddenly dawned on me that I had wanted to make someone who was, for the most part, a stranger to me feel better about himself, but I couldn't do the same for my own daughter. I really was no better than these people.

"I have to go," I told Darcy.

"Yeah, I bet you have a lot to do before going to check out Stephanie's place," she said to me."I hope you bought a bottle of wine or something to take with you. It isn't polite to show up empty-handed."

"That won't be a problem," I said to her. And it wouldn't be for me, because I wasn't going."I still have to pick up something for my mother before I head home."

I left Darcy with Michael and stopped at the Shop n Bag on the way home. I didn't want to chance bumping into anyone I knew at Giovichinni's. I quickly picked up a raspberry Entenmann's coffee cake for my mother and even got a couple of the cookies Frank likes from Starbucks. It probably wouldn't change their attitude towards me, but I thought it couldn't hurt. I also wasn't in any hurry to get home. Frank would be getting changed to go see Stephanie, and I wanted to give my mother plenty of time to pack up the food she was bringing with them. That's why I had spent most of the day in my car._ I _am the one who should be baking cookies and changing clothes. I parked in the driveway, let myself into the house carrying my bags of bribes, and kept busy putting them away inside the now empty kitchen. I could hear noises coming from upstairs, and I had a feeling that my mother and Frank would be leaving earlier than expected.

I dried the remaining dishes, wiped down the counters, and swept the floor all while keeping an ear tuned to any footsteps on the stairs. Twenty minutes later, Frank came down and I saw him getting his jacket out of the hall closet. He looked handsome in his dark brown slacks and white dress shirt. Not too long ago, I would have told him to wear a blazer with it, but I wasn't in any position to comment on his clothing choice. My mother came down shortly after wearing a shocking red dress with, of all things, a ruffle along the hem of what I thought was a too short skirt. It should have landed well past her knees, I thought, but again I wasn't saying anything. Especially, since I knew she had made a special shopping trip with Valerie earlier this week to find a dress to wear.

As Frank was fastening his jacket he noticed me in the doorway.

"We're leaving a little early," he said, probably hating the fact that he was answering my unspoken question. I knew they had told Stephanie and Ranger that they would be there at six and it was only a little after four.

"Since we were planning on picking up Valerie on our way," he continued,"Edna suggested we spend a little time with the girls before we drive over to Rangeman."

My mother slipped her dress coat on, and picked up the boxes full of cookies and frosted brownies she had spent the day baking, and followed Frank to the door. She had gone to the craft store yesterday with one of her friends to buy the decorative boxes. She had really gone all out for tonight, and knowing that made me feel even worse.

"Don't wait up," she called over her shoulder at me. I knew she was enjoying this.

I was left standing in the kitchen I called home, listening to my family leave without me. I started for the pantry as soon as I heard Frank's car pull out of the driveway, but as I opened the door and went to reach behind the olive oil for the bottle of whiskey hidden there, I let my hand drop back down to my side. I knew it wouldn't help with what I was feeling. This has been hard for me, too. Didn't they realize that? It is so easy to just blame me for everything without thinking at all about what this is doing to me. Everyone thought I was wrong for trying to prevent my daughter from being hurt, and all three of them kept telling me to mend my relationship with Stephanie, but how do you go about repairing something that you didn't even know was broken?


	15. Chapter 15

**I might have taken a few liberties with Frank's character here, but if he was put into a position like he was in chapter 14, I'd like to think that his reaction would be similar to what I've written in this one. All characters belong to Janet. Any mistakes are mine.**

**Stephanie's POV**

"Does this look okay?" I asked Ranger when he came into the bedroom.

"Babe, you look beautiful," he said, as he walked up to me."You have nothing to be nervous about."

"I'm not nervous."

Ranger lifted a 'yeah right' eyebrow at me.

I sighed."Okay, so I might be a_ little _nervous."

"It's your family coming over, Steph, not the FBI."

"But the last time my family and I got together, things didn't turn out well," I reminded him.

"I disagree. It didn't go well with your_ mother_," he told me,"but you found out just how much your sister and grandmother care about you that day. A lot of people die without ever knowing that."

"I know. I was surprised at how far they were willing to go to defend me," I said to Ranger."I'd expected Grandma to but, even though we're a lot closer, I didn't think Valerie would get in my mother's face like she did."

"I don't want to say anything against your mother ..." Ranger said.

I snorted at that. Even after everything she said to, and about, him, Ranger is still being respectful of the fact that she's part of my family. I wasn't as good a person as Ranger. I didn't _say_ anything too horrible out loud to my mother, or about her since, but I'm pretty sure my mind should be thoroughly washed out with soap. Twice.

I am trying to handle this separation maturely, but I've had moments where I've wanted to scream, or swear like a trucker, at length. For the most part, though, I've put it behind me. I couldn't change her thinking, and I wasn't putting up with it any longer, so there wasn't much I could do except live my life. And I have to say that it has gone on nicely without my mother in it. And although I'm not thrilled with my family being divided, I've never felt better. It's probably a bad thing to admit, but it is true. I haven't seen Joe in a while, it's been days since I've spoken to my mother, and I feel like my body and my brain have been rebooted - damn Silvio and his computer comparisons. I seem to be standing taller. I'm less anxious. Well, I am _usually_, today is the exception. And everyday I go to work with a new purpose. I know what I do is important to somebody despite what both my mother and Joe have said.

"Babe?"

I blinked, and told myself to concentrate on the present. Dwelling on the past wasn't going to change it.

"I zoned out again, didn't I?"

"Yes. Do you want to share why?"

"I was just recalling what a great man you are," I told him.

"I'm glad you think so," Ranger said,"but that's not all of it."

"No, it's not. I was also going over how different my life is, and it has only been a week."

"I'm sure your mother will come around eventually, Steph," he said, wrapping an arm around me.

"That's the strange part. I now realize that I can have a life that doesn't include her. It's not what I would have wanted, but it hasn't been that bad of an adjustment for me. I'm seeing that I don't have to wait for my life to be perfect to be happy. I'm happy right now. There's nothing to dread anymore outside of an annoying FTA or a Lester prank. Joe hasn't caused any trouble, and he has even left me alone. And I don't have to spend hours a week explaining myself to my mother."

"I'm sure you haven't heard the last of either of them."

"Probably not, but I'll deal with that only when I have to. I'm not going to waste any more time stressing out over them."

"You really are too good for them, Babe," Ranger said, softly."And one day they'll both see it."

"You must really like what I'm wearing," I said, stepping away to give my body another chance to feel his heated gaze on it.

It was a simple shift dress that hugged everything nicely in a blue so dark it almost looked black, with little sleeves, and a relatively modest - well, modest for me - V style neckline. And the dress had a hemline that stopped at a non-slutty place halfway between my knees and my doodah, finished off with a new pair of heels.

"I do," he said to me."But there's more to you than how you fill out your clothes."

"I'm glad you think so," I said, repeating his words back to him.

"Smart ass."

"I try."

"It's going to be a real challenge to keep my hands off you tonight, Steph," Ranger said."I'll have to remember to control myself when your father gets here."

I settled myself against him and slid my hands up his chest.

"He's not here now," I said, kissing the underside of his jaw, enjoying the feel of the slightly rough skin caused by the start of his five o'clock shadow.

"Very true, Babe." And he kissed me.

My response was immediate. My mouth opened under his while my fingers fisted in the cashmere sweater he'd chosen to wear. The contrast between the hard muscles of his chest and abs and the softness of the black material was almost as distracting as the feel of his lips and tongue. After a minute or two, Ranger pulled back and I realized that the tingly feeling below my waist wasn't caused by Ranger alone.

"Talk," Ranger said into his cell.

I took a step away from him and blew out a shaky breath. Great. Just what I needed. I had to now go meet my father looking thoroughly kissed. Ranger's eyes followed me and he smiled. I was retreating and he found it amusing.

"We'll be right down," he said to whoever was manning the cameras, and disconnected."Your family just pulled up to the gate."

"Guess we'd better get down there then," I said to him.

"Tonight will be fine, Steph," Ranger said, gently."If they didn't want to be here, they wouldn't have come."

"I know. I just don't want to cause problems between my parents."

"Your mother is the one who caused this, not you. Don't forget that," he said to me."You were only standing up for yourself and your father won't fault you for that. Unless I read him wrong, he'd be proud that you did. Don't let your mother take away the family that does want to be here with you by doubting yourself now."

"If this security thing doesn't pan out for you," I told him,"I bet you could get one of those life coach gigs."

"Babe."

"It makes sense. You're continually positive. You don't allow people to think for you. And you encourage everyone around you to demand better for themselves. Isn't that what those coach people tell you to do?" I said."I do think you're right about my father. He hasn't come right out and said it, but I'm pretty sure I'm his favorite. Just don't tell Val that."

"You're _my_ favorite, too," Ranger told me, kissing me near my temple.

"Thank you for everything, Ranger. You didn't sign up for all my family drama, and you shouldn't have had to listen to her berate you."

"The only thing that I would undo, is how your mother hurt you. And whether it's a stubborn FTA, a dangerous stalker, or family 'drama', I'm going to be with you to face it. That's what a partnership is, Stephanie. You would do the same for me."

"Yeah, I would," I told him. There wasn't much I wouldn't do for Ranger."But if your parents say something bad to you, I won't be as polite as you were about it."

"I don't think you, or them, need to worry," Ranger said, curling his hand around mine, and pulling me out of the bedroom."You'll see that when you meet them."

"Which will be … when?"

"Soon, Babe."

Ranger opened the front door for me and we took the elevator down to the garage. Grandma was just stepping out of my father's Buick when the doors opened, and I could see a little bit of red poking out of the light coat she was wearing.

"Looks like Grandma's dressed to kill," I whispered to Ranger.

"Good thing the building's full of men to prevent that from happening."

I rolled my eyes at him and walked towards my family.

"Hi, guys," I said to them."Welcome to Rangeman."

"I'm excited to finally be here. And I can't wait to look around," Grandma Mazur said."Claire Rubiano has been dying to get a looksy. She's even trying to convince her husband to hire Rangeman just so she can get past the gate. I'm booked for a solid week between church, bingo, and the beauty parlor just so everyone can get a firsthand account of how our dinner went. We're all like celebrities now."

That didn't sound like something I wanted to be.

"You told everyone that you were coming here?" I mentioned to Darcy that my family was coming over, but I didn't go into any details. I have a feeling Grandma started with the details.

"Don't get your bloomers in a bunch. The only thing I've done so far is tell Mavis down at the beauty parlor how bad Helen acted to the two of you while I was having my hair done there yesterday. I picked her to talk to because Mavis knows all about that. Her mother-in-law is always treating her like dooky. I bet two to one, that if she repeats anything I've told her, she'll make Helen out to be worse than she actually was. Which will be hard, because your mother was terrible enough on her own. And just to get the news out faster, I told Mavis to keep it to herself. Since I'm such a good customer, she'll wait until at least tomorrow to spill the beans about what happened, and that Helen wasn't with us tonight. I've given Helen long enough, now it's time to do something. Maybe if her perfect imagine is tarnished a little, she'll unstick her head from her behind and apologize."

"Sorry, Steph," Valerie said."I tried to shush both of them, but I didn't have much luck. Nothing gets Mavis going more than an 'evil' mother story, and nothing I said helped."

"It's okay," I told her."I'd expected this."

"Don't you look pretty," Grandma said, looking me up and down.

I had noticed that along with Grandma, my dad and Valerie had dressed up, too.

"Thanks, Grandma," I said to her."You all are looking great yourselves."

"I should. It took me two hours to find this dress."

"It didn't help that the saleswoman kept thinking the clothes were for me," Val said.

"Us _mature_ women have the right to look every bit as hot as you young people," Grandma said.

"Jesus H. Christ, Edna," my dad said to her.

"Don't be such an old fuddy-duddy, Frank. And that woman didn't know squat about fashion anyway."

"She was nice, Grandma," Valerie said to her.

Grandma snorted, not unlike I had earlier.

"You didn't have to go out of your way," I told them,"it's just dinner."

"It's more than dinner, Steph," Val said."And we all know it."

"I appreciate you having us," my father said to Ranger, shaking his hand, and finally wading into the conversation.

"I'm glad you could make it, Mr. Plum," Ranger said.

"I think we're beyond the _mister_ part, just call me Frank. And I'll just say upfront that I don't agree with anything my wife has said to either of you."

"I was just telling Ranger," I said to him,"that I don't want to cause problems between the two of you, Dad. What's going on with me and Mom shouldn't have affected the rest of you."

My dad looked at Ranger."Can Stephanie and I have a minute?" he asked.

Ranger's eyes flicked to me and he waited until I took a breath and nodded.

"Edna, Valerie, why don't I start with showing you our apartment while Stephanie talks to her father."

"I already laid down the law with him, Stephanie," Grandma Mazur told me."You won't be having the same talk you had with your mother."

"Grandma …"

"Like you weren't thinking about that?" She said."Unlike your mother, I know you. And I know what's going on in the active head of yours."

"Let's go, Grandma," Val said."I only have a couple of hours and I want to see _everything_."

"The sixth floor is Ella and Louis' apartment," I told them."So that's off limits unless she invites us down there, which she probably will because Ella is the sweetest person on the planet."

"She thinks the same about you, Steph," Ranger said to me.

I may not have the ideal relationship with my mother, but the ones I have with everyone else in my life are really frickin' great.

"Ah, _Ella_," my father said, like he knew something I didn't about her.

My mother doesn't know anything about Ella except for what I've said, so she couldn't have told my father something negative about her, because there isn't anything negative to tell.

"She's your housekeeper?" My father asked Ranger.

"Don't let her job description fool you," I said."Ella's way more that that."

"No wonder you choose to live here," Valerie said."Where do I sign up?"

"It may be a nice thought, but I wouldn't trust Lester, Mary Alice, and Angie together," I said to her."They'd probably try to take over the world or something."

She laughed, but I didn't. I thought it was possible.

Grandma walked past us to the elevator."Let's get a move on," she said, I guess to everyone.

"Ranger, don't forget to give Grandma what Vince made for her when you get upstairs."

"I won't, Babe. I'll let you do the honors, Edna," Ranger said, tossing her a key fob."You did say that you wanted to use the 'fancy key' to get to the seventh floor."

"_Hot damn_," she said."Wait until I tell the Bingo Broads about this."

"Don't be _too_ long, Babe," Ranger said to me.

"I'll rescue you in a few minutes," I told him."Val, you're on Grandma duty until I get up there."

"No. Not a chance," she said."This is my night off, and I'm not babysitting anyone."

"I'll go easy on them," Grandma said, and pressed the seven button.

I saw Grandma Mazur take the power position in front of the control panel as the doors came together. I desperately wanted to go with them. My father and I haven't really had a serious conversation since I married Dickie. At least with my mother I knew what to expect. I had no idea what my father was going to say. We've spoken since the fight, and he did come tonight, so whatever it is couldn't be that bad.

I rested my butt against Ranger's Turbo and waited for my father to speak.

"I'm sorry I wasn't there to stop your mother," he started off by saying.

"Believe me, Dad," I told him,"there was no stopping her."

"I know I've let her handle everything with you girls in the past, but that's going to change," he said to me."And your mother doesn't speak for me when it comes to your living arrangements. As long as Ranger treats you right, and you want to be with him, then I support your decision."

I smiled."Thank you. I'm used to Mom by now, but what really ticked me off is how willing she is to believe the worst when it comes to Ranger. He's a good person, and he loves me, that's all that should have mattered to her. It was enough when I was seeing Joe. And it should be enough now with Ranger."

"That's what I told her," my dad said to me.

"And I'm sure she still doesn't get it."

"Your mother has a lot to think about right now," he told me."Not only about how she should have treated you, but also about our marriage. I'm not living like we have been any longer."

"If you want to change things with Mom," I said to him,"then that's your business, but I don't want to be the reason behind it."

"You are only to the extent of making me see that our marriage needs a lot of work. When I came home after you and Ranger left, I told your mother that I'm not choosing her over my own children. If I'd have been there, I could have prevented all of this."

"Maybe you could have, but I really think this was for the best," I told him."I needed to get her to stop viewing me as the girl I was, and start seeing me for the woman I am now. I finally took a stand on something and I'll never regret doing it. I didn't want to drag Ranger and you guys into it, though."

"We _should_ be in the middle of it," he said."Helen is only one woman and she's got the five of us ready to pull our hair out. But not anymore. If coming to your childhood home is out of the question, then I'll be here whenever I'm invited. Your mother and I don't have much to talk about right now anyway. And if she doesn't admit to being wrong soon, I don't see that changing. A guy I know from the lodge offered me a place to stay, but I'm not leaving my own house unless it's permanently."

My mouth dropped open."You're thinking about moving out?" I asked.

No way did I see this coming. I thought they'd ignore each other for a week or two and then just continue on as usual, but he sounded serious.

"Not right now. I have thought about it, though. I'm hoping she comes to her senses soon so we all can work through this, but if she doesn't …" he said, letting his voice trail off.

"Wow," I said.

My parents' marriage was a given. There were things in this world that I just knew. The sky is blue. The earth is round. And Helen and Frank Plum were always going to be together. I've never even seen them argue, though they didn't seem all that affectionate with each other. But what I've learned after hearing Grandma talk about her life with my Grandpa Harry, and from me marrying the wrong man at the wrong time, is that marriages like my parents have are common and actually normal in the Burg. And that's why I fought staying with Morelli, in his house_ and _in his life. I didn't want _common_, or even normal. I wanted what Ranger and I have. We are two unique people who love, admire, and respect each other, which shows every time we do anything together, both in our _work _space and _personal_ space.

My dad broke the heavy silence."I grew up in a time when a father's job was to go to work everyday, bring home a steady paycheck, and keep food on his family's table and a roof over their heads."

That's why I thought my parents got along so well, since that's what my mother believed, too. But maybe, just maybe, one of them was evolving.

"I'm beginning to see," my father continued,"that there is a lot more that comes with being a father. I should have done more for both you and your sister, and also Helen. She was the one raising you girls mostly by herself. If I would have spent more time with my family she might have felt less burdened back then and be less bitter now."

"You're being too hard on yourself," I said to him."You may not have told us very often, but Valerie and I always knew that you loved us."

"I do love the two of you, and that's why this is so hard to think about. My job also included protecting my children, and I haven't done that, either," he said."I should have stopped you from marrying that Orr guy in the first place. I knew he was just a sleazeball lawyer who didn't deserve you. And I should have beaten the hell out of Joe Morelli on more than one occasion for all the crap he's pulled. Your mother may have been taken in by him, but I wasn't."

Looks like my father and Ranger agree on a couple of things already.

"I probably would have married Dickie even if you would've tried to stop me," I said to him."But our marriage wasn't a total loss. I did learn a lot about what I didn't want while I was with him. And Joe isn't really that bad of a guy, once you get past his reputation, his family, and his mouth."

"You said something similar to me about Dickie," my father said.

Damn. I guess he has been listening to everything all along.

"It's a good thing I've since learned from my mistakes," I said."Ranger's nothing like Joe or Dickie."

"I'm relieved to hear it. I didn't do enough for you girls aside from keep you clothed and fed, but I plan on doing more from now on. No one is going to get away with upsetting my daughters, least of all their own mother. And Helen has been warned of that. It's time that she makes a choice about what she wants in her life, her family or her own way. She can't have both. But let's not talk about her anymore tonight. I want to see this place," my dad said, shifting gears."I hear there's a lot full of vehicles and a built in gun range. It's been awhile since I've hit a target."

I laughed."It would be difficult since Mom hid your gun."

"I'm not so interested in shooting your grandmother at the moment," he said."For the first time, we actually agree on something."

"That's what I do," I said to him."I bring families together. And who have you been talking to that knows about Ranger's business?"

I was pretty sure I never mentioned the gun range to him since I hate the place.

"I see Eddie once in awhile," my dad said.

"Oh?" Why was I suddenly suspicious?

"I think we've left Ranger alone long enough."

"He can handle Grandma," I told him.

"I don't think there's anything he can't handle."

"Despite what Mom thinks, Ranger really is the best," I told my dad.

"That's what they tell me."

"_They_?" I asked."Who's been feeding you information besides Eddie?"

"Every person I've spoken to who has seen Ranger in action. I know that he's done everything he can to help you and keep you safe, and that alone is enough for me to like him."

"Thanks, Dad. I wouldn't trade my life right now for anyone else's."

"Ranger does seem to be a positive influence. If that changes …"

I laughed again. One, because my father couldn't 'beat the hell' out of someone like Ranger even if he was motivated to. And two, Ranger would rather shoot himself than hurt me.

Ram came out of the door for the stairs while my father and I were waiting for the elevator. Ram looked like he needed a strong drink and some major sleep. He came over to us as soon as he realized he wasn't alone in the garage.

"Hey, Ram," I said."This is my father, Frank. Dad, this is one of Rangeman's finest, Ram."

I swear Ram blushed."Nice to meet you, Sir. You've got an amazing daughter. Everyone here loves Stephanie."

"She has that effect on people," my dad said.

Although what they were saying was nice to hear, I didn't like them talking about me like I wasn't standing in front of them.

"You on your way home?" I asked Ram.

"Yeah," he said."I'm gonna pick up a pizza on the way and then sleep for the next twelve hours."

"Today was that bad?" Ranger hadn't mentioned any problems to me.

"Woody was out sick and Tank called me back in when I was scheduled to have the day off," he told us.

"Oh ... poor Ram," I said to him.

He smiled."Don't feel too sorry for me. Ranger made it worth my while, and saw that I was paid more than double for it."

"Ranger's good like that," I said to Ram, as the elevator opened."Make sure you get some rest. Don't spend the night watching movies or playing video games."

Ram placed his left hand over his heart and held up his right one like he was swearing on a bible."I solemnly swear to go immediately to sleep the second the pizza box is empty."

I gave him a three second Burg glare. I'm starting to see why Ranger threatens to hurt them when he wants his men to do something. It's just easier.

"Goodnight, Ram," I said over my shoulder, as my father and I got into the elevator. I heard him laughing behind me so I waited until my father wasn't looking and I quickly flipped Ram off. Which, of course, only made him laugh harder. Men!

"_He's_ one of the 'criminals' your mother is worried about?" My father asked me.

"Yup. I fear for my life daily."

I guess my eye-rolling didn't come from him, because my father didn't roll his. And that was the perfect time to do it if ever there was one.

"What are on all the other floors?" My dad asked.

"Well, you already know about the sixth and seventh floors. The control room is on five, along with mine and Ranger's desks. The fourth floor has apartments for some of the men. Then there's the gym and a couple floors of offices. The firing range is off the garage, and there are also holding rooms nearby."

"Holding rooms?"

"Where some of the more _physical_ FTAs are held before they get turned over to the Trenton PD, or if there's a suspect that the police are interested in but can't hold. Rangeman is glad to assist them."

"So Ranger's providing another type of public service, not just watching for burglars?" my father said.

"Considering some of the people that have been here, yes," I said."If Mom knew about that, I'd understand her being concerned about my safety, but there are two or three security doors, not to mention floors of ex Army commandos, between me and anyone being held here. So there really is no reason to be."

"Are you sure?" My dad asked.

Damn. Maybe I shouldn't have brought it up. But I figured he would have asked about it at some point. It's better to just get it out of the way now.

"Yes. Ranger wouldn't take _any_ chances with my safety."

The elevator opened up into the little entryway outside of the apartment. My dad paused and looked around.

"I didn't know what to expect," he said,"but it wasn't this."

"It is pretty, isn't it?" I said, noting the pale walls and black and white marble floor, seeing it as I had when I first broke into the building.

"I bet your apartment has electricity and everything," he said.

"Repeated that, did she?"

"Yes. Your mother may not have appreciated it, but_ I _thought it was funny."

"Thanks a lot."

Ranger had left the door unlocked for us, and we found Grandma, Valerie, and Ranger in front of the pictures in the den.

Ranger's eyes automatically landed on me.

"Everything okay?" He asked me.

"Uh-huh. I_ think_," I told him."I'll fill you in later."

"While you two were talking, Ranger gave me an ID card with my name and picture on it," Grandma Mazur said."Now I can come and go whenever I want."

"Within reason," I told her. I wasn't letting Grandma move herself into this apartment. I'm the only who got to get away with doing that."And that ID does not mean that you get to show up at crime scenes and pretend that you work for Ranger. That's why I had Vince put 'visitor' in large letters, just to remind you in case you forget."

Grandma proved that I got my eye-rolling abilities from her, because she gave me a doozy of one. When her eyes were back where they belonged, Grandma pointed to one of the photos on the wall.

"I remember that picture," Grandma said."Your Grandpa took it a couple of days before you left for college. You looked happy."

"I was."

Why wouldn't I be? I'd wanted out of my parents' house, out of the _Burg_, and I was all set to have my own life away from both. Then Dickie happened, and I ended up right back in the place I was trying to get away from.

Aside from mine and Grandma's picture, I'd also added one of Ranger when he'd held Julie for the first time in the hospital. Rachel has said that she's got a few more if I want them. Which I _do_. And I thought better of Rachel for not trying to erase Ranger completely from Julie's life, even if that's what Ranger had wanted. I also framed the newest school picture of Julie that she'd sent us. And I really lucked out the day Bobby had stolen Hal's phone and terrorized us with it when we'd had a particularly slow work day. Thanks to him, I now have a few good pictures of some of the men with either me or Ranger. And Bobby took a particularly good shot of Ranger and I right before he was about to kiss me. Ranger's lips were tipped up at the corners as he looked down at me, and I had an overly sappy expression on my face, but it is my favorite picture of us so far.

"I can't believe you actually did something domestic," Valerie said.

"We don't use bad words like that around here," I told her.

She had the nerve to laugh.

"You have to admit that you caring about where you live is new," she said."You stayed in that rat trap apartment for years."

"Hey! Rex is the closest thing to a rat I ever saw in that place."

"But you could have painted the rooms at any time, or found slightly better things to put in it, to make it look actually livable."

"Okay, that may be true, but that does not mean I'm being _domestic _now."

"Babe, you have to remember that you're the only person who thinks of it as a curse word."

"So I'm a tad touchy about it, sue me. Ella said that dinner will be ready in a half hour. Do you guys want a tour of the building now, or wait until after we eat?"

"I vote for now," Grandma said."I want to work up an appetite shooting up one of those paper people."

"As much as I hate to agree with your grandmother twice in one lifetime," my dad said,"I wouldn't mind doing that, either."

"That explains everything," I said to them."I'm _adopted_. No way can I be the only one who hates guns in this family."

"I don't really like them," Val said."I would be afraid to have one at home, not only because of the girls, but I just might be tempted to use it so it's better if I don't get accustomed to shooting anything. I'll just cheer Grandma on."

"Okay, just don't let Ranger play unless you want to be shown up," I said to them.

Ranger walked over and rested his hand lightly on my back. Even though he knows every inch of my body, he was probably still hoping he'd overlooked an off switch somewhere. He didn't, so he settled for his old standby.

"Babe."

"If I gave you enough time, I bet you could shoot a little picture into a target. A house with a tree growing next to it. Or maybe a sun with a cocky smile on its face. What do you think? Oh! I got it! We can start a new art movement and call it _Exploding Expressionism_."

Valerie choked and my father and grandmother smiled wide.

Ranger looked at me and raised both eyebrows.

I figured he was wondering when I'd been interested in art.

"You know I have no alcohol tolerance, so I had to find something to do besides drink to occupy my time while I was away at college." I looked over at my father."Not that I drank at all while I was there and underage. I waited until I turned twenty one just like the rest of my friends."

"I hope so," my dad said."I didn't help pay for your tuition just so you could go to parties and get drunk."

"I bet you went to plenty of parties," Grandma said."I know that's what I would have done. Now let's go shoot something. I just knew I was gonna love coming here!"

Grandma was already at the elevator by the time the rest of us shuffled out of the apartment.

"What do I press?" Grandma asked, standing again at the buttons.

It's a good thing I moved, Grandma Mazur might have taken over Mrs. Bestler's job at my old apartment.

"Hit the garage button," I told her."The firing range is at the end of it."

To make more room for my family, I stuck very close to Ranger. He was leaning against the back wall of the elevator and I used the front of Ranger's body the same way. Ranger seemed to be totally okay with it, because he circled my waist with his arms, and rested his chin on the top of my head.

I was sorry that the elevator didn't take longer to go down the six floors. Grandma and Valerie stepped out, followed by my dad and us. Ranger unlocked the door to the range and flipped on the light. The main feature of the room obviously were the two lanes, complete with remote controlled targets at the end of each of them, and bullet-proof partitions to separate the people shooting. Ranger and Tank were discussing adding more to what they already have, but so far two was enough. Ranger got two headsets from one of the shelves and handed them to my father and grandmother.

"I bet I can hit it more times than you, Frank," Grandma said.

"Care to make a little wager," my dad said back.

"You know, normal families play scrabble or charades when they get together," I said to them,"not pretend that they're part of a wild west show."

"Have you ever seen them get along like this?" Valerie asked me, watching the two of them.

"I've never seen them get along _at all_," I told her."It's a little weird."

The door opened and both Ranger and I turned our heads to see who was coming in. Looks like Tank and Bobby decided to join us.

"We didn't miss anything, did we?" Bobby asked.

"Let me guess," I said to him,"you were in the control room recently?"

"I saw a few men gathered around the monitor for this place," Bobby said,"and I had to see what was going on. Once I saw you down here I knew this was going to be good."

"You can thank my father and grandmother for me being here," I told Bobby."And you, Tank?"

"When we went over the plans for tonight, Ranger had given me a heads up that you'd most likely be down here at some point," Tank told me.

"He did?" I asked, giving Ranger a look.

"You really think your grandmother would be in this building and not want to take advantage of a private shooting lesson?"

I blew out a sigh."No. What were you going over? A family dinner doesn't need the same attention as a takedown."

"We all know what a big deal tonight is for you, Steph," Tank told me."Ranger wanted to make sure he kept business from interfering with the night you had planned for your family."

"I think you've got a keeper there," Valerie said, nodding in Ranger's direction.

"That I know. And it's a good thing, too, because he'd have a hard time ditching me. All my crap is here now, and I'm not moving it again. Everyone, this is Bobby and the huge guy is Tank. Guys, meet my father Frank, Grandma Mazur, and my sister Valerie."

After a round of handshakes and nice-to-meet-yous, Ranger bent his head close to my ear.

"Just so you know, Babe, ditching you never crossed my mind," Ranger said to me,"but thoughts of how to keep you permanently attached to my hips did."

It's hard to believe, but Ranger can still make me blush.

"I don't think that's practical. At least it isn't from a business standpoint," I said to him, not hiding the smile his words created."But I'm not at all against the idea for the hours between ten at night and two in the morning."

While we were talking Grandma had put on her ear protection, trying to arrange her tight curls around them. And my father was watching all of us as closely as he watched the Superbowl.

"I'm ready," my grandmother said."Someone hand me a gun. Elsie wouldn't fit in my bag so I had to leave her at home."

"Elsie?" Bobby asked.

"Her .45 long barrel," I told him.

"You're shitting us?" Tank said.

"Nope. She bought it at a yard sale."

"I have a feeling that I'm gonna love your family," Bobby said.

He'd love these members of it anyway, I thought to myself.

"Your insurance can cover the worst case scenario, right?" I asked Ranger.

"Yes."

Ranger went to a hidden gun safe, pulled out two small handguns, and enough ammo for both. They weren't as scary as what he and the guys carry, but it would satisfy Grandma's need to destroy something. Getting this over with now might make dinner go smoothly. Maybe we'll even get through it with no fires and without the main course ending up riddled with bullets.

After Ranger had loaded them, my dad put on his headset and took the gun Ranger offered him like he knew what he was doing. Grandma looked giddy. It wasn't everyday that someone gave her a gun and then actually let her use it.

"Here, Mrs. Mazur," Bobby said to her,"I'll help you." And he stood behind Grandma, positioned her arms, and told her where she should aim.

It was actually cute, in a slightly disturbing way, to see them together. Grandma had left her coat in our apartment, and it was interesting to see her in her fancy dress, wobbling on her little heels, with Bobby's large hands gently showing her how to hold her gun properly. Ranger had even powered the target closer than they usually practiced with just so Grandma Mazur would be able to hit something at least once.

"I guess you're on your own, Dad," I told him.

"I don't need an extra pair of hands," he told me."I may be a little rusty, but I can still beat your grandmother with my eyes closed."

"_No_!" I told him."Grandma's dangerous enough. We're not adding closed eyes to this."

After five minutes of a lot of noise, and a bunch of trash talk, a clear winner was announced.

"Hah!" Grandma said."Take that, Frank. I kicked your butt good."

"No," my dad said."_You _didn't kick anyone's butt. You and _Bobby_ did. Some might even say you cheated."

"It was_ her _finger on the trigger," Bobby said, defending their win.

Ranger dropped an arm across my shoulders."What do say, Babe," he said,"how about a battle between the gun shy sisters?"

I cut my eyes to him."You'll use anybody to get me to practice more, won't you?"

"Do you have a suggestion of what I can do instead to make you more willing," Ranger said, his lips brushing my ear again.

"Stop it," I whispered."You can't do that with my father standing right over there."

"Do what, Steph?"

"You know exactly what you're doing," I said, turning so I could poke him in the chest."Fine. I'll use the stupid gun, but I expect to be rewarded for it."

"You will be, Babe. As soon as your family is on their way home."

I smiled at him."You're gonna go out to the store and buy me a box of Tastykakes after dinner?"

"I was thinking of something more substantial, and _a lot _more filling," Ranger said, in a suggestive tone meant for my lucky ears only.

And that's what I get for trying to play with Ranger, a rapid heartbeat and an uncomfortably warm body. Not to mention an abundance of less than pure thoughts.

"Hey, Val," I said, stepping away from Ranger,"you sure you don't want to try?"

"I don't know," she said.

"I'll give you a hand," Tank told Valerie, and did the same thing for Valerie that Bobby did for Grandma, except Val had a different reaction to Tank's body behind her.

"Oooh, my," she said to Tank,"you really have a lot of muscles, don't you?"

"Val, stop flirting with Tank."

"I am _not_ flirting," she said."I was just pointing out that he must work out a lot."

"They all do here," I told her."You eventually get used to it."

"Do you need _my_ help, Steph?" Ranger asked me.

"You stay right where you are," I told him, moving to my lane."You'll only distract me."

"I've seen you play poker, Steph," Bobby said."Nothing can distract you when you're going in for the kill."

That caught my dad's attention."Poker?"

"Yeah," Bobby said."When a few of us have a night off we get together and play a few hands. We all know to watch out for Stephanie. She's vicious."

"You play poker?" My dad asked me.

"Only if they need a seat filler," I told him.

"Don't listen to her," Tank said."We ask her every chance we get. It's fun to watch her fleece the new guys."

"My dad plays poker," I told them."I'm sure he wouldn't mind taking your money."

"How about it, Mr. Plum?" Bobby asked."You in?"

"Yes. But I should warn you that I'm the lodge's resident Texas Hold'em champion."

"That's okay," Tank said."We don't discriminate when it comes to collecting cash from someone."

"Be nice, Tank," I said to him."And focus on Valerie. She's going to need all the tips you can give her. And you might want to put a couple of inches between the two of you before Val goes into a testosterone-induced coma."

"_Stephanie_ …" Valerie hissed, glaring at me.

"There's nothing to be embarrassed about," I told her."It's a completely natural reaction to them. You should see what happens when women see Ranger for the first time."

I lifted my gun and proceeded to out shoot her even with Tank advising her. I may not like to use my gun, but Ranger and the Rangemen have taken it upon themselves to make sure I can hit what I aim at on the off chance I pull out my gun.

"You're up," I told Ranger, and handed him my gun while Valerie passed hers to Tank.

Bobby and Tank would have made any sniper proud, but Ranger still beat both of them. Every one of Ranger's shots was strategically placed. Even though he had fired a lot of rounds, there were only two holes. Ranger had somehow managed to get the rest of his bullets through the original two holes he'd made in the target's head and heart. Freakin' show-off.

"There's just something about a man who knows his way around a gun that's sexy as all get out," Grandma said.

I agreed with her. It's impossible these days not to be tempted by Ranger's many attributes. And most of them didn't need a gun to emphasize them. But Ranger did look especially hot while he was standing there, calming kicking everyone's ass with what appeared to be very little effort.

Ranger had just finished locking the guns up when his cell rang. He said hello, listened for two seconds, and then disconnected with a thank you. I was guessing Ella was the one who called. Everyone else was usually hung up on.

"That was Ella," Ranger said to us.

Am I good or what?

"Dinner is ready," he told us."We'll have to wait until after we eat if you want to see anything else. Ella went through a lot of trouble, and I don't want to keep her waiting."

"Neither do I," I told Ranger."She's the one who gave me something to do earlier to keep me from thinking too much."

"Stephanie," my dad said,"you could have told us we'd be eating cow manure and we still would have been here."

"I would say thank you, but that was a disgusting analogy."

Grandma laughed."He's right. I haven't seen you this relaxed and happy since you were a little girl."

I'd definitely relaxed after talking to my dad, and I've been enjoying every minute with my family since. Something that I've never consciously done before. Maybe in taking herself out of my life, my mother has given me a new appreciation for everyone else. And after what my dad, Grandma, and Valerie have told me, maybe she's done the same for them, too. Something to think about later, I told myself, and turned to Tank and Bobby.

"Do you guys want to join us?" I asked them."I was with Ella earlier trying to help out, and there is plenty."

"No," Tank said."We get you everyday, you should spend this time with your family. We'll catch up with you later."

We all headed back into the garage and I stood by Ranger while he relocked the door.

"This has been the most fun I've had in a while," Grandma said."And that includes last month when Emma Gertz and I snuck over to Atlantic City and each won over a hundred dollars playing the slots."

I was just about to say something about not telling Mom, when it occurred to me that I didn't have to keep secrets anymore. Not Grandma's, and definitely not my own.

"Let's head back to our apartment," I said to them."I need a glass of wine or champagne or something. I suddenly have the urge to celebrate."

Ranger grinned at me like he was aware of how good I felt at that moment, threaded his fingers through mine, and led me to the elevator.

**A/N: I wanted to add more with Ranger's men and Ella so chapter 16, which I'm working on now, will be a continuation of the dinner at Rangeman. As soon as it's finished, I'll get back to my update for Changes in the Air.**


	16. Chapter 16

**All familiar characters belong to Janet. The mistakes are mine.**

**Ranger's POV**

I saw the change in Stephanie as soon as she walked into the apartment with Frank. I had told her that tonight would be good for her, as well as her family, but even I didn't know just_ how _good until I saw her face. It made suffering through all of Edna's inappropriate bedroom comments while I was showing her and Valerie around worth it.

And from that moment on, Stephanie was back to being the same woman that I know and love with her own family. The nerves from earlier were completely gone. The only way I could describe it is to say that she's found some closure since talking to her father. My first instinct was to give her family some excuse, drag Steph into the bedroom, and find out what was said. I didn't like not knowing what she was feeling, good or bad, but she did say she'd tell me after everyone was gone, and that was going to have to be enough.

When her grandmother talked to Stephanie about their photo together, I saw Steph's eyes go to the one of us and her expression changed. Even a man who has spent his life avoiding the type of relationship that we have now could see the love she felt for me in that look alone. My body reacted to that unguarded moment, and I had to redirect my thoughts or I'd shock her family more than Helen Plum did.

When we were downstairs at the firing range, I couldn't resist trying to impress Stephanie. I had a reputation for being the best shot on every 'mission' I took on, and I've been determined to live up to it on every job since. And if I could use that skill in any way to get Steph hot, all the better. I always want Stephanie, but when I've seen her do something that she didn't think was possible, my _want _quickly turned to _need_. And I knew she felt the same for me. Some of our more _energetic_ times making love were during the high she was riding after she'd caught someone she was afraid she couldn't on her own, or when she saw another side to me than she's used to, like when I just toyed Morelli instead of hospitalizing him. Everyday there is something new to learn about each other and, for me, I couldn't get an early enough start to them. Steph disagreed a little on the timing, but not the reasoning behind it. And I now had to wait hours before finding out what her father had said to her. Sometimes it fucking sucked having to be in control ninety percent of the time. Needless to say, the remaining ten when I wasn't involved some kind of interaction with Stephanie.

And I'd felt my gut clench almost painfully when Steph looked at me after she told us that she wanted to celebrate. I wanted to give her a hundred reasons to celebrate, but she stopped needing me to ever since the night we exploded for each other. I still did everything I could for her, but she knew I didn't _have_ to anymore. I _wanted_ to, and Steph humored me without fighting it. Stephanie has reached the point where she realizes that _she_ has the final say in what goes on in her own life. And I've never been more proud. Stephanie Plum on her own is a force of nature, an _empowered_ Stephanie Plum is unstoppable. And there is nothing that turns me on more than either one.

"What are you thinking about in that preoccupied head of yours?" Steph asked me, while we were standing in the elevator on our way to dinner.

"The same thing that is always front and center in my mind,Babe. _You_."

"Betty Szajak gave me a bunch of those sexy romance books, and I bet that's just what one of them shirtless heroes would say."

"I don't believe my grandmother is reading book porn," Steph said.

I fought off the cringe those words created. I didn't want Grandma Mazur and porn linked in any way.

"I'd lend you a few," Edna said to Stephanie,"but something tells me you don't need them."

"Edna," Frank said,"I'm not listening to comments about my daughter's personal life."

"How did you turn out more old-fashioned than me?" Edna asked."You think Stephanie's got a studmuffin like Ranger and is not doing more than eating breakfast with him?"

"_Grandma_!"

"_Edna_!"

Stephanie and Frank both shouted. Leaving me, Valerie, and Edna smiling. I knew all about our sex life. And, as Stephanie told Valerie about her reaction to Tank, it isn't anything to be embarrassed about.

"What's wrong, Steph?" Valerie said."It's only _natural_ for you to be sleeping with Ranger, so why are your cheeks pink?"

"Shut it, Val," Steph told her.

"We seem to have lost control of the evening," Frank said to me.

"Just this portion of it," I told him.

Stephanie's grandmother looked inordinately pleased.

"See," Edna said to us,"one bad apple in the family doesn't have to spoil the bunch," she said.

I've seen Stephanie's family with Helen, and now I've had the opportunity to watch them without her. The difference is significant. I was sorry that Stephanie didn't have this all along. I would like to change the past for her, but she may not have turned out to be the resilient, never give up, woman that she is now if I could have made her childhood perfect. If I hadn't lived the life I had, I wouldn't be the man standing beside her tonight. I still break out in a cold sweat at how close it came to being Morelli instead.

We made it back to the apartment just as Ella was coming out the door.

"Ella," Steph said, walking over to her,"you weren't trying to sneak away, were you? This dinner wouldn't be happening if it wasn't for you."

"I didn't want to intrude," Ella said to her.

"You _never_ intrude," Stephanie told her."I swear you can make yourself invisible if you want to."

"Boy, I wish I could do that," Edna said."There's a few places I'd like to visit if I knew I wouldn't get caught."

"Las Vegas?" Steph asked.

"You bet your tookus. You can gamble, watch male dancers, and see a whole slew of famous people. Disney world ain't got nothing on Vegas."

"You described your grandmother perfectly," Ella said, smiling at Stephanie.

"Really? What'd she say?" Edna asked Ella.

"That you love life, and you live by your own rules."

"That_ is _you, Grandma," Valerie said to her.

"Stephanie has told me a lot about all of you," Ella told them.

And I've heard some of it myself. More than a few times, I've walked into the kitchen and have seen Stephanie and Ella talking and laughing like they've known each other for years. Not unlike what happened when she started spending time with everyone else who works here. If the men didn't all know what I would do to them if they tried anything with her, there might have been a few problems.

"Valerie," Ella said,"Stephanie has said that you're an incredible mother to her nieces, and irreplaceable to your husband Albert. And Mr. Plum ..."

"Frank."

"All right._ Frank,_ Stephanie has told me that you have an appreciation for great food, and an affinity for just about every sport."

"I'd say that Stephanie has a big mouth," Valerie said,"but I don't mind in this case."

"Why did I invite you again?" Steph asked to Valerie, as she came back to my side.

This is something that we both do unconsciously. If we're in a room together for more than a couple of minutes, we end up touching each other in some way, even if it's only our shoulders brushing. I was enjoying seeing the easy relationship Stephanie and her family have fallen into. They were affectionately teasing one another, but there were no cutting insults, no verbal attacks, and no resentment at all. I believe that the four of them would be fine, and would all likely benefit from limited contact with Mrs. Plum.

"Because you love me," Valerie said to Steph,"and knew that I needed a night off that included a dinner I didn't have to make. And from what I hear, we're in for a treat."

Stephanie curled her arm around mine, and leaned into it. Just that simple touch of her breasts against my arm was enough to make all my senses sharpen.

"You are," Stephanie told her."Ella outdid herself tonight."

"You helped," Ella said to her.

"I chopped, peeled, and stirred things. And put together the salad. That's not exactly cooking."

"It's more than Mom ever let you do," Valerie said.

That made me angry all over again. There is so much to Stephanie that her mother is willing to overlook. I'm glad that everyone here has seen just how special Steph is, and that Frank and Valerie are also seeing Stephanie differently now.

"I would think that she'd welcome her children in the kitchen," Ella said."Some of my fondest memories are of spending time in my mother and grandmother's kitchens."

"Valerie was cleared for kitchen duty," Stephanie said."I was trusted only with the empty dishes before and after the meal."

Ella's smile tightened. I've seen that look on Ella's face only a handful of times, and it was usually reserved for Louis or Santos. It was better for Helen that she wasn't here. Ella didn't believe in telling people how to live, but if you messed with someone she cared about, Ella would do everything in her power to set you straight. Mrs. Plum may have found her ear being twisted as Ella escorted her to a secluded spot for a good talking to. Not a bad visual if you think about it.

Ella's eyes met mine and I saw her regain the little bit of composure she'd lost. Stephanie has come to mean a great deal to her, and Ella couldn't believe Steph's own mother would hurt her and then not even reach out to Stephanie in the days following their fight to try to make things better.

"You should enjoy your dinner before it gets cold," Ella said, finally.

"Like it would dare get cold on you," Stephanie said, laughing.

The fact that Steph could talk about her mother without anger, or appearing sad, made me think that Helen has finally lost her hold on her.

"Ella even made a chocolate torte for dessert," Steph said to us,"just because I mentioned last night that I loved Mom's recipe. Can you believe that? And she did it in half the time. Mom used to save that as a bribe for when she really wanted me to do something for her."

"Shoot! Dessert!" Edna said."I made you some of the cookies that you like and my frosted brownies in case we got to meet the people you work with, but I was so excited to get here that I left them in the car."

"We'll get them after dinner, Edna," I told her."And then we can visit the control room. I'm sure the men on duty would appreciate them."

"Seriously," Stephanie said,"I want the world to stop right now and never move again. I get cake, cookies, _and_ brownies. And you're letting the guys eat junk food on Rangeman property?"

"I'll make an exception since Edna made them specifically to bring here," I told her.

"I wanted to make a good impression. And after helping me beat old Frank here, Bobby's getting_ two _brownies."

"Just make sure you warn the guys," Steph told her."They might not have Mooner's 'secret ingredient' in them, but they are addictive."

"Louis and I would love it if you stopped by for coffee before you leave," Ella said."I'd like to get to know Stephanie's family better."

"I'd like that," Edna said."I want to make sure my granddaughter is in good hands."

"I couldn't be in better," Steph said, squeezing my arm tighter as she smiled at Ella.

"We are all pleased that Stephanie is living here," Ella said to Edna and Frank."And we do all that we can to make sure she's happy."

"Thank you," Frank said."I feel better knowing that she has people looking out for her."

"Jeez, Dad. I'm not _two_. I can look after myself."

"He knows that, Steph," I told her."I'm sure he just meant that he's glad that you're surrounded by so many people who care about you here."

Frank gave me a small, relieved smile. I saved his ass, and he appreciated it.

"He better," she said."I don't want to have to have the _I'm a grown up _talk with both of my parents."

"I'm aware of just how grown up you've become, Stephanie," he told her."And I am proud of the women you and Valerie have turned into."

"Okay, this night is getting stranger and stranger. I'm ready for dinner."

"Me, too," Edna said.

"I hope you enjoy it," Ella told us, walking to the elevator."Don't forget to stop in."

"We won't, Ella," Stephanie said to her."Thank you for tonight."

"It was my pleasure," she said, as the doors closed.

"You guys are going to love this," Steph said."Ella knows so many kitchen tricks, she can even make Ranger's food taste good."

"Steph," I said to her,"eating healthy food isn't the worst thing you can do."

"Considering what you tried to feed me before I knew about Ella, it sure tasted like it was."

"Well, _something's_ definitely agreeing with you," Valerie said, following Stephanie and I into our apartment."You've never looked better."

I let my eyes wander over Stephanie. Valerie is right. Steph looked confident, calm, and like everything I could have wanted in a woman.

"Thanks, Val," she said, closing the door behind everyone before looking directly at me."I'm also_ feeling _pretty good these days."

I settled her family in the dining room and went to help Steph carry the plates that Ella had left on a cart in the kitchen to keep warm.

Ella had asked Stephanie at the beginning of the week what her family would like for dinner. All Steph said was that they were meat and potato kind of people, Ella had taken it from there. Stephanie told me that Ella had prepared a beef tenderloin with a peppery wine sauce, oven-roasted green beans, 'fluffy dinner rolls that didn't even need butter' - _Steph's_ words, not mine - and potatoes. But not the mashed potatoes she was used to. No, Ella went beyond that. Whipping them with seasoning, and I was willing to bet cream and butter, then piping them onto a baking sheet to be rebaked. After hearing how excited Stephanie was about the potatoes, I made a mental note to stick just to the meat, sans sauce, and the beans. When all the food was set out, I sat at the head of the dining room table with Stephanie next to me on my right, her grandmother sitting beside her, and Valerie and Frank to my left.

"Look how cute," Edna said."I've never seen potatoes like these before."

"Ella called them 'Dutchess' potatoes, and wait until you taste them," Stephanie said, proving I was right to keep my distance.

"Holy crap! This is amazing," Valerie said, after taking her first bite.

"Told you," Steph said.

"Wait until Helen hears about this," Grandma said."This beats her Christmas dinner. And tonight's not even a holiday."

"Grandma, I really am fine," Stephanie told her."You don't need to keep needling Mom."

"Yes, I do," Edna said."Besides, it's fun."

"Edna, we're not discussing Helen," Frank said."Let's just enjoy the night we have together."

And we did. Valerie talked about her children, and the new case Albert is working on. His _only_ case, and it sounded like it was one step away from being pro bono. Albert has good intentions, but he sucked when it came to executing them. Frank kept to not discussing his wife and ruining dinner, and it was still aggravating the shit out of me that I didn't know what he and Stephanie had discussed. Frank only said that he was driving his cab more than ever, and spending evenings hanging out at the lodge or having a beer with one of his friends. Looks like his and Helen's marriage is suffering from a few growing pains. Twenty five years late in my opinion. But Stephanie and I are proof that things can change if you want it bad enough. And Stephanie outlined her job, and what her days are usually like here, for everyone. Describing what she does when she meets clients and what her most recent stakeout entailed.

"Sounds exciting," her grandmother said.

"Not on the days when there's nothing to do but computer work," Stephanie told her.

"It _is_ necessary, Steph," I said.

"That's why I do it. Luckily I've got a roomful of distractions to keep it from getting too boring."

"That's not the reason the men are there."

"Tell _them_ that," she said."They're the ones coming over to my cubby, asking me to settle bets between them and bringing me stuff from the kitchen whenever one of them grabs something."

"Sounds like a dream job," Valerie said."Every time I'm in Albert's office, I'm lucky if I get a thank you at the end of it, never mind getting waited on."

"Don't let him get away with that, Val," Steph said."You're helping him, the least he can do is appreciate it."

"He does. It just takes him a day or three to say it."

"You want me to have a word with him?" Stephanie asked her.

Valerie laughed."No. You say you don't like using your gun, but I'm always afraid you're going to pull it out when you have too much contact with Albert.

"If it makes you feel better, I wouldn't shoot to kill."

"After seeing how well you actually do shoot," Valerie told her,"that _does _make me feel better. I have no desire to be a single parent again. And the girls like Albert."

"So do I," Steph said."Most of the time."

Dinner was finished long before the conversation was. And nothing had changed between here and the Plum house. Steph, Valerie, and Edna straightened up after Stephanie said she wasn't sticking Ella with the dishes. Frank and I carried the dirty ones from the table to the sink while they washed and dried them. This is the first time I've seen Frank in a kitchen aside from just walking through one on his way to somewhere else. It's important to me to be able to take care of myself in any situation, so the kitchen isn't foreign territory to me, but it is to Frank, and he didn't balk at all at helping out.

Steph insisted on having Ella's cake as a reward for cleaning up, and all five of us ended up staying in the kitchen to eat it. They all had a healthy slice while I stuck to coffee, which caused Steph to give me a_ I knew you wouldn't touch it _look. I don't know where they put it. The meal was heavier than I usually eat, and my system would have revolted if I'd attempted the cake, but they were enjoying it. Especially Stephanie. And I have every intention of putting the same look of ecstasy on her face later on tonight.

"We should move the Plum family dinner to your apartment," Edna said to us.

"I wouldn't put Ella through this every week," Steph said, once again thinking of someone other than herself."Ranger couldn't pay her enough for that."

"I've been cooking for longer than you've been alive," her grandmother said."I can make dinner. I had a lot of fun baking today, and it would be nice to be in charge of a kitchen again. And you can help."

"That could be dangerous," Steph said.

"I'd help, too," Valerie said."If you didn't mind my family invading the building."

"I already told you that you could bring them tonight," Steph said to Valerie."You're the one who wanted to leave them at home."

"_A_ _night_ is one thing, but every week is a serious commitment."

"You're welcome to meet here and take over the kitchen if that's what you decide you'd like to do," I told them.

"You wouldn't mind?" Stephanie asked me.

"No. This is just as much your home as it is mine. And if you and your family want to have dinner here, then I expect you to have dinner here."

She wrapped both arms around me and hugged my waist hard.

"You really are the best boyfriend," she said, before lightly kissing my cheek.

Edna snickered."More like _man_friend."

Stephanie grinned at me."She's right. _Man_ is definitely a more accurate description. And instead of sending me home with leftovers," Steph said, getting the conversation back on track,"we can take them down to whoever is stuck working."

"We could go see who's working now," Edna said.

"We should stop at Ella and Louis' first," I told them."Then I'll go get the food from the car."

"Works for me," Steph said.

We went down to the sixth floor, and I sat with Stephanie in one of their over-sized chairs and watched Ella charm everyone. She made coffee, and then made Stephanie's family feel at home. Due to recent developments, they probably felt _more _at home here.

"Did you have a good time with your family?" She asked Steph.

"Yeah. And the food was delicious. Not that I doubted you. You're like a food magician."

"I was gonna ask for the recipes," Grandma Mazur said."Since we'll be eating here regularly from now on, I wouldn't mind seeing if I can make something that fancy myself."

"Grandma and Valerie said they'd do the cooking," Steph added, quickly."I'm not asking you to go through this much trouble every week."

"Stephanie, I don't think of it as trouble," Ella said."I like cooking. I find that it relaxes me."

"Which works to my advantage," Louis said."If Ella's feeling frustrated, I just point her towards the kitchen. A half hour later, she's more pleasant to be around, and I also get a delicious meal."

Ella whacked him on the leg."You won't anymore after saying that," she told him.

"She's a hoot," Edna said."I just know we're gonna get along great."

"We are all just one big happy family here," Ella said to her, smiling at Steph and I.

"Stephanie has been a great addition to Rangeman," Louis said.

"I swear I didn't put them up to this," Stephanie told her family.

"You don't need to, Babe. They like you, and they don't mind saying so."

"We do like you, Stephanie," Ella added."It's nice to have another woman in the building."

"They'll be more if I get my way," Grandma Mazur told her.

"Grandma, this is still a place of business," Steph said,"not summer camp."

"We could make it both if you want."

"No."

"If you want to visit, and Stephanie's busy, I'd love the company," Ella said to Edna."I have a job to do, but mine is more flexible than Stephanie's. As long as the men are fed, everything else is done around it. It's not exciting, but you can tag along if you want."

"This evening just keeps getting better and better," Edna said."The beauty parlor biddies are gonna mess themselves when I tell them about this."

"Grandma!" Valerie and Stephanie said simultaneously.

"What?"

Who knew three women could synchronize their eye rolls?

"You might want to reconsider, Ella," Stephanie said."Grandma is a handful."

"We'll be fine," Ella assured her."If I can keep everyone here in line, I'm sure your grandmother will be a piece of cake."

I wasn't so sure about that, but if anyone had a chance of policing Grandma Mazur, it would be Ella.

"Speaking of cake," I said to Stephanie."We should make our way down to five. They'll be more pissed than you were if they find out they were about to get brownies and then didn't."

"Yeah, that sucked," Steph told me, standing up and tugging on my hand to get me moving.

"Valerie, Frank," Ella said,"you are also welcome anytime."

"Any chance you like hockey?" Louis asked Frank."I've got an extra ticket for a game this month."

"Hey!_ I _like hockey," Steph said, pausing on her way to the door.

"I'll take you to any game you want, Steph," I told her, slinging my arm around her shoulders.

"Okay, you two have fun then," she said to her father and Louis.

"Thank you. I haven't been to a game in years. Why haven't we visited here before?" Frank asked.

"Umm ... because I didn't live here before?"

"Why did you wait so long to move in?" He asked.

Steph blew out a sigh."That's just great," she said."I'm being pimped out for hockey tickets."

"_Stephanie_," I said, warningly. I didn't want her to _ever_ feel that way. I also cut my eyes to Frank. The fact that he seemed just as upset as I was did nothing to help my sudden mood.

I felt Steph's hand on my arm."I was kidding. Calm down. Your glare is scaring my father."

"And I wouldn't want to do that, would I?" I said to her, while making myself relax.

"No, you wouldn't," she said, patting my arm when she felt the tension leave it."That's better."

"Give him a break, Stephanie," Ella said to her."Men can never tell when we're joking or serious. If we mean it, they think we don't. And when we're being silly, they think we're on the verge of committing murder."

"That's true for most men," Steph said to her, but her eyes were on me,"but Ranger can usually tell the difference. He's been a little more sensitive this past week, though."

"I never thought I'd be outnumbered by women in this building," I said.

"I think you're going to have to get used to it," Stephanie told me."But you're pretty much perfect, so I don't think you have to worry about being ganged up on."

I kissed the top of her curls."Frank, can I have your keys? I'll get Edna's food and be right back."

"I'll go with you," Frank said.

"No," Steph said."There will be no more heart-to-hearts tonight."

"We're only going to the garage, Steph," I told her."We'll be quick."

"Promise," Frank added.

"Fine. I know how long it takes you to go up and down six flights of stairs and if you're not back in five minutes, I'm coming after you."

"Got it, Babe."

"He'll have me with him," Frank said."It may take longer."

"Five minutes," she said, in a tone I knew not to mess with.

Frank and I headed to the stairs. I spoke as soon as the door closed behind us and we started down the steps.

"Stephanie meant what she said, so we don't have much time," I told him."I'll cut to the chase. I love your daughter more than I thought it possible to love another person. I'm disgusted by how your wife treated Stephanie, but I refuse to become the person she thinks I am by telling Stephanie what I really think of her mother, or sink to Helen's level by pitting them against each other."

"I also don't like what Helen said," Frank told me."Nor do I believe that you are anything like the man she describes. And I want to thank you for taking care of Stephanie when her own parents didn't know how."

Frank had seemed okay with Stephanie choosing to be with me, but I didn't expect him to be the exact opposite of Helen. I thought I'd have to sell him on the idea of me a little first. Not something I'd usually do, but if it made Steph's life easier I was willing do it.

"When Stephanie and I talked earlier, I told her that I'll be behind whatever decisions she makes as long as you continue to do as you've done in the past. Love her, protect her, respect her, and be there for her."

"Those I'll do until the day I die," I told him.

Although Stephanie and I don't have a signed document, or requested the services of a priest to say the words, those are the vows we've already made to each other. And I have every intention of keeping them until I have no more life in me.

"That's all I needed to hear," Frank said.

We made it back to Ella's with thirty seconds to spare. I saw Steph's right foot moving back and forth while balanced on it's stiletto heel. The Stephanie Plum equivalent of the warning shake of a rattlesnake's tail.

When she saw us, her foot stopped moving but her eyes were now flicking between me and the boxes of snacks. The tension left her body, and her expression softened. I was _very_ familiar with that look. The way she was eyeing the boxes, then my body above and below them, I had a feeling she wanted to eat us both. Not a comfortable thought with her father standing next to me. Frank would take back what he'd said downstairs if he knew what fantasy involving his youngest daughter was running through my mind right now.

I walked over to Steph."We're back on time and no one was shot," I said, before bending close and giving her what she calls my wolf grin."And now who's not behaving themselves?"

I watched her throat work as she swallowed, willing my lower half not to react to it.

"Oops. Sorry."

"Sorry for what?" Grandma Mazur asked.

"Umm, that we've kept everyone waiting so long," she said to her grandmother.

"That's the best you can do, Babe?" I whispered.

"Yes. Now move that cute ass of yours before I try to kick it," she whispered back.

"Cute?" I said, grinning at her."You know it's way better than cute."

"Not now it isn't," she said."Now it's being a _smart _ass, _wise _ass, and causing a huge pain in _my _ass."

I couldn't help it. I laughed. But if I would've known that everyone was going to stop what they were doing to watch us, I would have risked the aneurysm holding it in may have caused.

Steph came to my rescue."Ranger _does_ laugh, you know," she told everyone."He isn't required to be scary all the time. It's not that big of a deal."

"Louis and I have been with Ranger since he started Rangeman," Ella said, looking more intense than I would have liked,"and it_ is _a _very_ big deal. You've made him happier than we've ever seen him."

Steph turned to me."Now do you see why I didn't want you two talking about me in the garage?"

"Yes," I told her.

"It's not fun, is it?"

"No."

"And you'll tell me what was said in the four minutes and thirty seconds?"

"Every word. We'd better get downstairs," I told her."Hal will have seen us on the monitor, and if we don't hurry the welcome wagon will be up here with a lot of fake excuses and ulterior motives. Santos and Binkie are almost as good as you are at sniffing out contraband sugar."

"I'm liking Lester a little more knowing that."

"As soon as he starts talking, Babe, he'll cure you of that."

"Lester?" Valerie asked.

"The company's connoisseur of women," Steph told her."You stay away from him. If you thought Tank was something, you won't know what to do with Lester."

"Lead the way," Grandma said."I know just what to do with one of them. At least, I've read a few things I wouldn't mind trying if I knew I'd be able to bend that way without breaking something."

"_Eww_!" Stephanie and Valerie said loudly. I was in full agreement, but I kept my face impassive. Grandma Mazur can sense embarrassment the way dogs smell fear, and she can be twice as vicious.

The elevator opened on five and Santos was standing there looking hopeful.

"What do you have in the boxes?" He asked.

"Grandma was in a baking mood, and is nice enough to want to share what she's made with everyone," Steph told him, taking the boxes from me.

"Good timing," Santos said to her."I try hard not be nice or considerate, but Cal could use a pick me up. He had an issue before he came in tonight."

Tank hadn't called me, so it couldn't have been a big one. Steph obviously didn't share my opinion.

"What happened?" She asked, scanning the room for Cal."Where is he?"

"He's in the john cleaning up a little."

"Why is he cleaning up? Is he hurt? Did he wet himself?" Steph asked.

"No, he didn't wet himself. We're made of stronger stuff than that," he said."He had a little dried blood on his face …"

"_Blood!"_

Steph went from concerned to panicked in less than a second. I've seen these men in varying degrees of pain, and I knew that if Cal had driven himself here, and intended to complete his shift, then it couldn't be serious.

Before Steph had a chance to storm the men's room, we saw Cal come out of it.

"Thank God," Santos murmured.

I didn't blame him. A worried Stephanie wasn't a rational one.

"Cal," Steph said, rushing over to him.

I honestly think she moves faster in heels than she does in sneakers.

"Where are you hurt?" Stephanie asked him."Who did it? And where are they now?"

"Easy, Babe," I said to her."Give him a chance to tell us."

"I'm fine, Steph. It's just a cut on my lip. I stopped for a coffee before coming here," Cal said,"and this woman was arguing with a man in the parking lot. I didn't like the look of the guy so I calmly walked over and asked if she needed help. The guy to told me to fuck off." Cal stopped and looked at Steph."Excuse the language, but that's what he said."

She impatiently waved her hand for him to continue.

"The woman was crying, and was obviously upset, but I didn't see him acting violent, or notice any bruises on her, so if she said she was fine I was going to move on. Then that ass …" Cal paused again.

"_Asshole. _There, I said it for you," Steph told him."Now keep talking."

Cal looked at me and I could tell what he was thinking. There were drill sergeants in the service less demanding.

"The guy grabbed her arm and tried to pull her into the car. I stopped him, but made sure to ask if she wanted to go with him first. I didn't like to, but I figure it was her decision. She shook her head and tried to step away, so I made him let go."

I didn't ask how. I was only interested in knowing if we had to dispose of something later tonight.

Steph was on the same page, though I wouldn't have come right out and asked in front of witnesses.

"You didn't kill him, did you?" she asked Cal.

I heard Valerie and Frank inhale. Edna didn't.

"I would've," she said."I would have shot him just like I did that target."

"We heard about that," Santos said."Grandma's got aim."

Steph sighed loudly and Cal hurried to continue.

"No," he said."I didn't kill him. After talking to the woman for a minute alone, while I had the boyfriend restrained, she told me that she wanted to leave him, but he's been keeping her on a short leash and she needed a few hours head start to reach her cousin's house. The guy's on parole, and he'd be locked up for a while if he violated it. So I gave him a chance."

"That split lip you're sporting is due to chivalry?" Steph asked him.

"I like to think so," Cal told her, giving her a small grin.

Some of the men had walked over to hear what Cal had to say. Must be a slow night around here.

"What did you do?" I asked Cal. I needed to know if our lawyers should be called. I have the best team money can buy, so I wasn't at all concerned that this would create problems for him.

"I may have given him an opportunity to throw a punch. _Only_ one, but it was the_ first _one thrown. And that's what I told the police. He's now looking at some jail time for a parole violation, possibly extra for assault, and she'll get a new life away from him. I tried to keep her out of the report as much as I could so she won't have to go to court if it came to that."

"I guess you left your white horse and suit of armor in the Rangeman garage before coming up here," Steph said to him.

"Yup. That's where I always keep them."

"Grandma, give Cal a brownie _and_ a cookie, he deserves it."

"You've got brownies?" He asked, turning into a five-year-old.

Just when I think I don't have to worry about them anymore, they got blindsided by brownies.

"Gentlemen," I said, to stop the impending rush to the boxes I wish I would have left in the car,"meet Stephanie's family. Her father Frank, her grandmother Edna Mazur, and her sister Valerie Kloughn."

They all politely said hello and introduced themselves.

"Grandma's baking is the best, but there will be no fighting over it," Stephanie said, laying down some ground rules when the introductions were finished."I want to make sure everyone gets something. No hoarding. And no stealing someone else's snack."

"So you're the only one who gets away with doing that?" Bobby asked.

"Yes. _I'm_ allowed. I had it written into my Rangeman contract. And if you don't behave yourselves, not only would Ranger be unhappy with you, but Grandma won't bake anymore and you'll have to go back to thinking of granola as dessert."

"Man, you're tough," Vince said.

"I have to be around you guys," she said. And walked to the little kitchen with everyone following closely on her heels.

Frank was talking about last night's game with Hector, Vince, and Tank. Edna was handing out the food while Stephanie and Valerie dispensed bottles of water and napkins. To make sure no one was left out, Steph made a few trips to the monitoring station to give Hal and Zero a drink and snack, since they weren't allowed to leave their post. If it was Bobby and Lester sitting there, I'd be worried that they'd be distracted. But Hal took screwing up hard, and Zero has a work ethic similar to my own, so I felt confident that no clients would be robbed because of the excitement going on around them.

When she was satisfied that everyone was taken care of, Steph came over to where I was standing by the door. I'd been watching her and her family with the men and, once again, I'd been a little surprised. I knew that Stephanie would get along with the people here, but I didn't think her family would approve of them, especially Hector and Cal with their tattooed faces. I underestimated all three of them. I should have realized that Stephanie had to have gotten her good qualities from somewhere.

Steph rose up on tiptoes and kissed my mouth. A soft kiss more about love than desire, but I desired her at that moment despite that.

My lips curved up as I looked into her blue eyes."What was that for, Babe?"

"You had a little frosting on your lips," she said to me.

"I didn't eat anything with frosting on it."

"If you're going to be difficult ..."

"How is telling the truth being difficult?" I asked.

She blew out a breath, and then told me the real reason behind the kiss.

"I wanted to kiss you because ... I'm happy. I love my life. And you look delicious. Is that better?"

"Much. And for the record, like Ella said upstairs, I've never been happier. I wouldn't change any part of my life. And I've been thinking all night about when I'm going to be able to get this dress off of you."

"Unlike what people say, it seems we_ do _have a lot in common," she said, giving me a more serious kiss this time.

Steph spent the next thirty minutes in and out of the control room kitchen talking to everyone coming and going. The men tried to hit up Edna and Valerie for information on Steph before I had a chance to stop them, but Stephanie took care of it herself.

"You guys know everything you need to know about me," she told the room."If you'd like to hear any of my more embarrassing stories, be prepared to share some of your own. You won't get them otherwise."

I had the urge to congratulate her and then throw her down on one of the tables and ravish her. Since the room was full, and the tables were littered with empty boxes, water bottles, and napkins, I had to settle for a 'Proud of you, Babe' and a kiss to the sensitive spot below her ear.

"I'll start," Lester said."I've got a small scar on my ass ..."

"I don't want to hear anything about your ass, Lester," Steph said.

"It's a funny story, though," Bobby added."He got it from sneaking out of Stacy Rondeau's bedroom window when he was 13. Her father came home from work early, and Santos had to move fast. He ass-slid over three feet of roofing shingles, and one nail, to get away."

"That hurt like a son of a bitch, too."

"Maybe that was God's way of telling you that you shouldn't have been screwing around with a thirteen-year-old girl," Steph said.

Thirteen was bad, but a six-year-old girl was worse in my book, I thought darkly. Maybe I should have hospitalized Morelli and just have taken my chances with Stephanie afterwards.

"I'm not as bad as you think I am," Santos said."Stacy was 17. I was big for my age and she thought I was older."

Stephanie didn't say anything until she turned to Valerie a few seconds later."And that's why I told you to stay far away from him."

"I busted my head open," Junior said to everyone next,"while riding a friend's dirt bike when I was sixteen. I was trying to appear like I knew what the hell I was doing, and show off a little by popping a wheelie, and I ended up on the ground face-to-handlebar with the bike."

"Ouch," Steph said.

"That had to have left a mark," Frank said to Junior.

"It did, but mostly to my pride. Not only did I have to get stitches, I was also grounded. And I was only let out of the house to go to work. My parents decided that I should pay for the repairs to the bike out of my own pocket since it was my own stupidity that caused them."

"I think I lucked out having girls," Frank said."Stephanie only broke her arm once, and Valerie didn't get into any trouble growing up."

"Yeah," Valerie said."I was the good one."

"You sure made up for that after moving back to Trenton," Edna said.

Valerie smiled."I have, haven't I?"

"Yes," Stephanie said."And I'm glad you did. You were just annoying before. Now you're also fun, too."

The rest of the time passed in a similar fashion. Since Hal was busy, Vince filled us in on how Hal was continually stalked and cornered by a rooster on the farm where he grew up.

"Don't laugh!" Hal called from the monitoring station."He was mean! And I wasn't the only one afraid of him! My dad sold him not long after he got a chunk taken out of his own knee!"

Everyone ignored Hal and laughed anyway. And then Bobby outed Binkie on how he got his nickname. I already knew the story, and while I felt a little sorry for him, he did tell everyone here what it was so he couldn't complain now.

When Binkie was ready to leave for basic training at eighteen, his mother was so nervous for him, and worried about her youngest child leaving her, she repeatedly asked if he was sure that he had packed everything he was going to need. She then rattled off a list of items just so he could confirm that he had them. This went on so long that one of his fellow recruits asked if he'd remembered to pack his _binkie,_ too. The name stuck through the four years he stayed in the Army. And so did some of the humiliation by the looks of it, but Binkie hid it well.

"I was the baby of the family," Binkie said."And the first one to leave our hometown. My mom didn't deal with it well, but I'll take her fussing over her not caring any day."

That was the only time I saw Stephanie look affected by her mother's cruelty but, to her credit, it only lasted a second before she was right back in the middle of the conversation, telling the men how she got caught trying to sneak into the boy's bathroom at school, and then sharing the horrifying details that led up to the funeral home fire that Edna likes to take credit for while Stephanie still insisted it wasn't their fault.

I was seeing a new side to everyone tonight, not just Stephanie. And I could see how well, and easily, our lives were blending together. Steph even navigated the different personalities of each of the men effortlessly. She was making lifelong friendships with them, and I knew that if anything should ever happen to me, she'd be taken care of. She wouldn't _have_ to rely on them, because I wasn't going anywhere, but it was good to know that she wouldn't feel like she had to go to Morelli for anything. She now has twenty-plus people ready to help her standing between the two of them. I didn't want Joe to_ ever _have _any_ kind of power over her again.

A little before ten, Steph and I stood in the garage and watched her family drive away.

Steph sighed."I'm actually sorry to see them go," she said.

"They'll be back, Steph," I told her, gently.

"Yeah, they will, won't they?"

I turned her towards me, and tipped her chin up with my finger so she'd see the heat in my eyes.

"In the meantime, you've got me to keep you occupied."

"Oh, I do? And just how are you planning to do that?"

"First, I'm going to get you upstairs. Then I'm going to get you naked. And after that, I'm going to make your eyes glaze over like they did when you first took a bite of Ella's cake."

I heard her breath hitch, and I was telling myself that she was remembering _me _not her dessert.

She hooked her fingers into my waistband and pulled me in the direction of the elevator. Looks like what _I_ _have _trumps what _Ella did_.

"Those are very good ideas, especially the last one," Steph said."And I think you should get started on it immediately. Otherwise I'll be hungry again, and you'll lose to the leftovers."

"Babe, I never place second. And I refuse to come in behind_ leftovers_."

Moving her body to block the cameras, Steph slid her fingers in a little deeper, coming that much closer to touching me. And I found myself suddenly wrapping my hand around her wrist and double-timing it to the elevator, willing the doors to open and close faster.

Steph laughed. And she could, _now_. In about five minutes she'll be making plenty of noises, but laughter won't be among them.


	17. Chapter 17

**I just wanted to say a quick thank you to everyone who has reviewed After The Night. I probably wouldn't have made it to chapter 17 without your reviews. I've lost track of how many chapter ideas, and conversations, I thought of while reading them. All familiar characters belong to Janet. The mistakes are mine.**

**Stephanie's POV**

"Stephanie?"

I sighed into the phone. The morning had been perfect up until now. Ranger had woken me up with a few distracting kisses to the skin that had become uncovered as I slept, and he had a cup of steaming coffee on the table next to the bed for when he managed to get my eyes open. They'd popped open wide when I felt goosebumps form along my body as Ranger slid the sheet down, before they closed again when I felt the heat of his mouth close around my nipple. I got a lot hotter as my coffee grew cold next to us. That flashback was enough to keep the impatience out of my voice when I spoke.

"What do you want, Mom?" I asked.

Okay, so I managed to keep_ most _of the impatience out of my voice. I had a feeling that my mother would be in touch soon after Grandma gave her an exaggerated telling of our dinner together. Actually, Grandma wouldn't _have_ to exaggerate anything. The night had gone better than expected.

"I wanted to talk to you," my mother said, cautiously.

Good. I had her on the defensive. I've heard Ranger's interrogation techniques before, and I was willing to use a few of them here. Never let the bad guy know what you're really thinking, and don't give them any power over you. Leave any personal feelings out of the conversation.

"Did you call to apologize to me and Ranger?" I asked her.

"Stephanie, I did what you, and everyone else told me to do, I called you first," she said.

"I didn't say I wanted you to call me," I told her."I said I wanted you to apologize to us, but only when you could actually mean it. So …_ are _you calling to say that you're sorry?"

There was deafening phone silence for a good ten seconds before my mother's voice came back on the line.

"I …"

"That's okay. I've heard enough," I said to her. And then I hung up. I have a busy day ahead of me and I wasn't going to start it with another argument.

I only gave my mother two choices. Accept me or forget about me. I didn't know if she'd be able to do either one of them, but she _did_ call. Maybe after another month or two she'll have made up her mind. Until then, I didn't have time to waste thinking about it. I had to pick Lula up and go after Lavinia Pikello and Donaldson Craig. I was always a little suspicious of people with first names as last names. It automatically made me think they were hiding something.

"Your mother called?" Ranger asked me, coming into the kitchen and making me jump.

"I thought you were downstairs," I said to him."I know you have freaky hearing, but even _you_ can't hear a phone ring from down there."

"I needed a file from my desk, so I had to come back up and get it."

"You could have just called and I would have dropped it off before I left," I told him."Unless it's confidential and you don't want me to see it."

Ranger came closer and wrapped his arms around me.

"Nothing that exciting," he said, and I could hear the rumble of his voice against my ear."Just the contract for the Easdon account."

I lifted my head and looked at Ranger."There isn't a problem with him, is there? He seemed like an okay guy to me."

I met John Easdon and his wife Erika a few days ago, and I had liked them. I'd hate to think that my spidey sense had failed.

"No," Ranger said."Mr. Easdon's fine. He just wanted an extra copy of our contract to send to his insurance company."

"That's a relief. I was afraid my instincts were slipping."

"They're on point as always," Ranger said."Now tell me about your mother's call."

My head landed back where it'd been against Ranger's chest and I sighed."There's not much to tell. I asked if she was calling to admit that she'd been wrong and she couldn't say yes right away, so I hung up. I don't want to feel like a bitch for doing it, but I haven't asked for anything outrageous. Only for her to apologize and promise to keep her opinions to herself, and she can't even do_ that_. What was I supposed to do?"

"Just what you did, Babe," he told me."If you stand your ground she'll come around."

"I'm starting to have major doubts about that," I said.

"Would you rather go back to how things were?"

"No. If my mother never changes, our relationship will still be better now than what it was. That's why I didn't stay on the phone. If she was ready to talk, she would have said something when I asked."

"Give it some time and don't blame yourself for how this plays out," Ranger said, tightening his arms."This is all on her now."

"I know. If it took me over twenty years to speak up, I can't see her doing a one-eighty overnight. I _was_ a little surprised that she called this morning. I thought she'd wait at least a day or two after Grandma told her all about our dinner."

"What she's missing out on is probably starting to sink in. Although my reasoning was much different, I do know that it's not easy to stay away from you."

I put my hands on his hips and tilted my head back to meet his eyes."I'm glad that you finally realized that you didn't have to."

"No more than I am," he said, pressing his lips to mine.

I made a little contented sound into his mouth and kissed him back. I couldn't imagine my life without Ranger. He'd better make sure he never got hurt, shot, or dead. I don't think I'd be able to survive it if he did.

"I have no intention of doing anything that would cause me to leave you, Steph," Ranger said, lifting his head."And that fear goes both ways. I won't be with you today, so it's up to you to protect yourself," he paused,"unless you take one of my men with you."

I curved my hand along his jaw and traced his lips with my thumb."Stop reading my mind," I told him, but I wasn't at all upset that he had."And I'll be fine. If I run into any trouble, I'll call you or the control room immediately. I'm not looking to get killed today."

"That's what I wanted to hear. I'm going to get the file and head back downstairs. You'll be home for dinner?"

"Yeah. When I talked to Connie yesterday, she told me that I have two days to catch these FTAs. If I don't have any luck today, there's always tomorrow."

"If you want my help," Ranger told me,"I'm only a phone call away."

"Thank you," I said to him."Depending on how bad Lula is, I might take you up on it tomorrow."

"I'll pencil you in."

"Gee thanks, you'd use _pencil_? I think after everything we've been through, I deserve_ pen_."

"You do, Babe," he said to me."I only said _pencil_ because I know I'll have to erase your name from the schedule after you catch your skips today."

I smiled at him."You're a very smart man. For someone who claimed to not be able to communicate very well, you seem to know just what to say at the right time."

"I know _you_, Steph, and that's all I need."

"Smart_ and _sweet," I told him."A deadly combination."

"Only to you. Call or text me so I know you're okay."

"I will."

I waited for him to grab the contract and then we walked to the elevator together. When the doors opened, he kissed me goodbye and took the stairs back down to five. I didn't understand that. He was standing in front of the elevator, it would have been nothing for him to just step inside and take it down to the fifth floor. But Ranger refuses to do that. Give him any opportunity to work out, and he took it. I'd think it was appalling if I didn't benefit so much from it. Ranger having unlimited endurance, stamina, and muscle control, helped out in many different areas of our life. The bedroom being the best one. And as long as Ranger didn't constantly get on my case to exercise, I overlooked his excessive need to do it. We all needed a character flaw or two, and Ranger didn't have many to choose from.

I got out of the elevator and beeped the Cayenne unlocked. It's mostly become my car since the last two went up in smoke. Instead of getting me a new one like he wanted after my last Rangeman vehicle got toasted, I convinced Ranger that it would be easier just to replace the Cayenne rather than two cars if I ruined the one he got me and then borrowed the Porsche, probably killing that one, too. On the days Ranger needed it, and I wasn't going after anyone, I got to use the Turbo. That was enough to convince me that Ranger loves me. I could count on one hand only the times I'd driven the Turbo until recently.

I drove to the bonds office and parked at the curb. The front door didn't have a chance to shut behind me before Connie and Lula pounced.

"What's been going on with you?" Connie asked me.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

For the first time, I wasn't asking just to stall. I was curious which event had made the biggest news. I had to tell Connie about my address change so she wouldn't try to reach me at my old apartment. And anything Connie knew, Lula wasn't far behind in learning. Not that I would have kept moving into Ranger's a secret. I didn't care who heard about it. If I had to take a guess, this was probably going to be more about my mother than last night's dinner.

"I don't even live in this neighborhood," Lula said, standing up from the ugly office couch,"and I heard from three different people this morning about your mother's meltdown."

"She didn't really have a _meltdown_," I told her.

If she _had_, I might have had a chance to get through to her. At least_ I _could feel good about trying to fix things between us. It was up to my mother to decide what she was going to do now.

"I heard she flipped out and swore to disown you if you didn't break things off with Ranger and go back to Morelli," Connie said to me.

I was betting I had Mavis to thank for that one. Looks like it wasn't just Grandma that made my mother contact me. Having me back at the house would help quiet down the rumor mill. Too bad I wasn't planning on helping her out with this. Maybe if she gets the chance to see how it feels to be scrutinized every day she'll understand what she's been putting me through.

"Are you interested in the truth here?" I asked them.

"Fuck yeah," Lula said."I gotta know whose ass to beat. Your mama's? Or is Morelli actin' up again? If he is, I'll take care of him. He may be a cop, but I know a guy who don't care about shit like that. He'll probably throw in your mother free of charge, too. It'd be a shame, though. She sure knows her way around a cake."

I had to agree. I was going into Pineapple-Upside-Down cake withdrawals. I wonder how difficult it is to make. Maybe I'll ask Ella if she could teach me. It would be nice to contribute something to the next family dinner at Rangeman. I used to think cleaning up afterwards was enough, but we have Ella and a dishwasher. Last night we only had to clean up the stuff that wouldn't fit inside it. And it would be good to not have to rely on a car, or another person, for dessert when I was desperate for some. Plus, if I had put some effort into making it, Ranger would have less of a problem with the nutritional aspect of it.

"You don't have to talk to any _friends_," I told her."My mother and I had a difference of opinion on where I should be living ..."

"You're living with Batman, who'd have a problem with that?"

"Morelli?" Connie said.

"I haven't even seen Joe," I said to them,"so he hasn't had a chance to weigh in yet. This was about my mother and I."

"You finally tell her where to get off?" Connie asked.

"Yeah," I said,"I guess I did."

"Good for you," Lula said to me."There's only so much of that 'why me?' crap a person can take. I don't know what took you so long to say somethin'. Who the heck is she asking anyway? Don't she know God's got more important shit to worry about?"

"No. If my mother is unhappy, nothing else matters."

"So what happened?" Connie asked me.

I sat down in one of the plastic chairs in front of Connie's desk."Ranger and I went over to tell my parents that I moved out of my apartment."

"I'd think they'd be throwing a party hearin' that," Lula said."That apartment was a dump. It wasn't as bad as some of the places I've slept, but I still wouldn't want to live there."

"You _did_ live there for a few days," I said to her."_Remember_?"

"I forgot about that," she said.

Too bad I couldn't. Sometimes I swear I could still hear the sound of her snoring.

"So she doesn't like you moving," Connie said to me,"she'll get over it."

"She also said some not so nice things about Ranger and the guys, too."

"What can she say about them?" Connie asked."They're a unique bunch, but you won't find more trustworthy guys."

"And Ranger is a freakin' superhero for crissake. He's saved our asses more times than I can count."

"My mother doesn't see it that way," I told Lula.

"Well I say screw_ Ms. Manners_. You know, I don't like to judge people, but ..."

"You don't?" I asked, my eyebrows lifting."Judging people comes in second only behind eating when it comes to your favorite hobbies."

"Hey, with all the stupid shit people do nowadays, they deserve to get their asses judged. I bet your granny had something to say about all this. She loves Ranger almost as much as you do."

"Grandma Mazur has been making my mother miserable. That's what she tells me anyway. And Valerie is even taking my side. Grandma and I have always had a good relationship, but this thing with my mother has brought my dad, Valerie, and I closer together."

"It's just like one of them Lifetime movies."

"Is that what the dinner at Rangeman was about?" Connie asked.

"You heard about that?"

"Yup."

"How come we weren't invited?" Lula asked me."We're sorta like family. You saved my life. That should get me a dinner invitation."

"Shouldn't it be_ you _inviting _me_? Since _I _was the one who saved_ you_."

"You know I can't cook. I can open a bottle of wine and a bag of chips with my eyes closed, though."

And really, what else does a person need?

"I gotta say, Steph," Lula told me,"I've only known you for a couple years, but I ain't never seen you as happy as you've been in the last few months. If Ranger's the cause of it, don't let some nitpicker like your mother mess up this thing you got between you."

"I don't think that's going to be a problem with them," Connie said."You can't even see sunlight between the two of them when they're together. There's more chance of her mother becoming a porn star than these two breaking up. I've known Ranger for a while, and when he wants something, he's relentless in pursuing it and doesn't let go once he has successfully obtained it."

"_Hey! _Are you calling me an_ it_?" I asked.

"Guess it's good that he wants our Steph then," Lula said, ignoring me."It'll take a strong man to go up against those Burg freaks. Morelli's a cop, and is allowed to shoot people for a living, and even he was scared of buckin' the Burg system."

"When you grow up there, it's hard to break out of their way of thinking," I told them.

I wasn't going to give Joe a free pass for every assholey thing he's done, but I knew how much pressure was put on children born in the Burg. And he could be the perfect guy for someone if he let go of their expectations for him and whoever he's with.

"_You_ did it," Lula said to me.

"It took me a long time, too. And I never thought like them to begin with. I've always known that I wanted something different for myself."

"Ranger _is_ different," Connie said.

I gave Connie the one Burg thing I happily took away with me, the death glare.

Connie held both hands up in a defensive move."You can retract your claws," she said to me."You know I like Ranger, and not just his outer wrapper. I meant different in an extremely _good_ way."

I blew out a sigh."Sorry."

"Damn, girl," Lula said to me."I'd think getting regular Ranger sex would have calmed you down some. You're just as jumpy as when you weren't gettin' any. You ain't holdin' out on him, are you? You'd be crazy to pass up all those mocha man-parts."

I thought back to last night, and also this morning, and I couldn't keep the small satisfied smile off my face.

"Nope, they're good," Connie said to Lula.

"Yeah, I can see that," Lula told her.

I got my head out of the bedroom and back in the bonds office.

"Are you up for a ride along?" I asked Lula.

"You got doughnuts or Tastykakes with you?" Lula asked me."I had a light breakfast."

"You've _never_ had a light breakfast in your life," Connie said.

"Okay, so maybe I had a_ big _breakfast and now I just want a snack."

"I don't have either, but we can stop on the way to pick up something."

"Here are the files," Connie said, handing them to me across the desk.

"I'm going to try to get them both today, but if I can't, Ranger told me he'd help me tomorrow so they'll be picked up before Vinnie loses any money."

"It's not enough that we haven't been spending as much time together since you and Batman hooked up," Lula said, her hand on her hip,"now he's horning in on our partner time? Not that I blame you. If I had that man waiting on me, I'd leave you home alone, too."

"Connie told me that you've had dates almost every night this week," I said to Lula."And we went out two weeks ago. I doubt you've _ever _been alone when you really wanted to be with someone bad enough."

"I _am_ popular."

"Hopefully you'll be popular with these people, too," I told her.

"They don't have violent histories," Connie told us."They're just odd. You should be able to bring in both if you manage to get out of the Burg in one piece. You're back in the spotlight."

"You know, I've spent so much time there, that I'm actually used to it. And this time I haven't done anything wrong _or_ embarrassing. "

"Yeah, you're in the clear. Your mother is the one everybody wants the scoop on."

I knew the Burg was going to be out for blood, but it looks like it's not mine they're after this time. Good deal.

"Well, they'll be disappointed with me again because, unlike Grandma, I'm not interested in making up stuff or trying to torment anyone other than Dickie or Joyce."

"I got your back," Lula said to me."I love all this drama shit on account of I've got a good imagination. I'll handle all the questions."

"No. We have a job to do today, we're not going on a press tour."

"I hate to break it to you, but it will be a press tour," Connie said."My advice would be to give them minimal details, with just a little dirt, and they'll move on, counting the seconds until they can talk to your grandmother instead."

"There's not many details. My mother and I haven't spoken to each other in days except for her call this morning."

"She called? What'd she say?" Lula asked.

"Not much, so I hung up on her."

"Damn. You're sayin' she didn't say she was sorry for bein' such a ...?"

"_Nope_," I said quickly, cutting Lula off.

"We should stop over at your parents' house while we're out. I got a few things I wanna say to her. No one treats my best friend like that."

"I'm_ fine_, why won't anyone believe me? I have Ranger, you guys, and the rest of my family. I'm not waiting for her to okay my life before I start enjoying it."

"If you're sure," Lula said."You know I ain't scared of her."

"I would never accuse you of being scared of _anything_," I said to her."Except for maybe snakes, rats, and cheap shoes. Let's go. I don't want to be out all day."

"You in a hurry to get home already?"

I thought about it for a beat."Yes."

"I'm glad, Steph," Connie said."You could use a break after everything you've been through over the last couple years."

"There are plenty of people with bigger problems than I have," I said, holding up the files."Like these two."

"Hey, they could have come in anytime," Connie said."I don't feel sorry for them. They brought this on themselves."

"Just don't feel sorry for me, either," I told her.

"Why would I?" She asked."You've got Ranger wanting to live with you, a group of the sexiest and scariest men in Trenton as your best friends ..."

"Hey!_ I'm _her best friend," Lula said."Tell her, Steph?"

"Sure, you are," I said to Lula.

And she was, right along with Ranger, Mary Lou, Bobby, Lester, and depending on the day, Tank. Yep, there is no reason to feel sorry for me.

"Okay let's go get these scumbags," Lula said."I'm feelin' real motivated now." She took a step towards the door, then stopped and looked over her shoulder at me."I still want my shitfood first, though."

"I figured as much. Where do you want to go?"

"Giovichinni's. Now that I mentioned it, I want chips, Tastykakes, and a bottle of wine for later."

"Another big date tonight?" I asked her.

"I got hopes of having a date for the mornin', too, if you get what I'm sayin'."

Unfortunately, I did. Now I understood why ignorance is considered bliss. I thought about _my_ morning again to block out all the unwanted images of Lula's potential one.

We got into the Cayenne and I turned off Hamilton towards Giovichinni's. It was still early in the day so I was able to park next to the door. Lula paused with her hand on the door handle.

"You want to wait here?" She asked."I can pick up somethin' for you if you don't wanna go inside."

"No. I'm not hiding in the car. And by the time you finally decide which label is 'classy' enough to buy, you'll forget all about my Butterscotch Krimpets."

"You think I'd forget about you?"

After Lula caught my _you do it all the time _look she continued talking.

"Okay, maybe I would forget, but I wouldn't do it on purpose. They got a shitload of bottles to choose from, and I want to get the perfect one to set the tone for the evening."

I wondered if they had one called 'Wham Bam Thank You, Man' or 'Hold Onto Your Socks, It's Going To Be A Bumpy Ride'. Eww, I really should start thinking less.

We parted ways as soon as we stepped through the automatic doors. She headed to the wine aisle, while I went for the junk food. I was pretty sure Ranger already had a talk with Ella about tonight's dinner selection. If I was going anywhere with Lula, he knew I'd be loading up on trans fats and he'd plan accordingly. It's not as annoying as it sounds. I actually appreciated it a little, since I didn't have to watch what I ate most of the time.

"Stephanie Plum?"

Crap.

"Hi, Mrs. Wendelson. How are you?"

"Better than you, I imagine."

"I don't think so," I told her."I've been feeling pretty good these days."

"You don't have to put on a show for me," Mrs. Wendelson said."I heard all about what that Helen did to you. She should be ashamed of herself. I would_ never _fight like that with my daughter. Lauren means the world to me." She let out a small laugh."Besides, if I do anything to make her mad, who's going to take care of me when I'm too old to do things for myself?"

I laughed."I don't think you'll _ever_ get that old," I said to her.

As far back as I could remember, Mrs. Wendelson was involved in every school function, every church program, and was the first to volunteer if someone got sick and needed help taking care of their family. She made dinners, helped pick up the house, and drove kids to and from school. I honestly thought this is the woman my mother modeled herself after. Her and Angie Morelli, Joe's mom, the woman all us kids were scared of growing up.

Mrs. Wendelson was highly critical of people, but she wasn't a hypocrite. Everything she believed in, she actually did herself. Whereas my mother liked to say she was a charitable person, but only if it coincided with what, or who, she was already planning on doing something for.

"I might," Mrs. Wendelson was saying to me as I tuned back into our conversation."And I'd rather have my Lauren want to help me, than worry that she'll just dump me off at the nearest nursing home."

"What about your husband?" I asked."Wouldn't he want to be there for you?"

"Yes, he would, but I act horribly when I'm not feeling well. My daughter is made up of much stronger stuff than both my husband and I. She can face anything with a smile on her face. My husband, God bless him, wouldn't last a week."

I hope that wasn't true for all men, because I'm a nightmare when I'm sick, too. Even knowing that, I still expect Ranger to take care of me and, eventually, my aging behind until I was ready to be put into the ground.

"I'm going to have a little conversation with your mother when I see her next."

"That's not necessary."

"I think, for her sake, it is," she said.

Who was I to argue? As long as I didn't have to suffer through the conversation, Mrs. Wendelson could talk to my mother all she wanted.

"Irene," Mrs. Wendelson said to someone over my shoulder,"come say hi to Stephanie."

"Stephanie, it's good to see you."

"Hi, Mrs. Calvani."

"I spoke to Edna just this morning," she told me,"and she went on and on about your evening together."

"Sorry about that."

"Don't be. I wish _my_ granddaughter was as nice to me."

"Janice has four kids," I told Mrs. Calvani,"she doesn't have time to be nice to _anyone_."

She laughed."She does have her hands full. And I enjoyed hearing about Edna's night out. I'll admit to thinking that you young people jump into living together too soon these days, without even discussing marriage, but after what Edna has said all along about your Ranger, I just might have said yes to moving in with him, too."

"Ranger _is_ pretty great," I said.

I was tempted to shout _'Understatement in aisle eight'' _as soon as I said it. _Great_ didn't even begin to describe Ranger.

"When you first started seeing Joseph Morelli, I thought the two of you would be married by now," Mrs. Wendelson said to me,"but I soon saw that you wouldn't be together for very long. You got along like oil and water."

"We wanted different things," I said to her."It just took us both a long time to see that."

"And you and this Carlos, it is Carlos, isn't it?" Mrs. Calvani asked me.

"Yeah, Carlos Manoso. I've always called him Ranger, though."

"You and Carlos want the same things?"

"So far, yes," I told her.

It was a little strange to be fussed over, in a caring way, while inside Burg limits.

"Good," she said to me.

"Hey!" Lula called from the end of the aisle."What's takin' so long?"

"We're what's been keeping her," Mrs. Wendelson said.

"Connie said that'd happen," Lula told me.

"How is Connie?" Mrs. Calvani asked."I haven't seen her lately."

"She's got _her_ hands full keeping Vinnie in line," I told her.

Both Mrs. Calvani and Mrs. Wendelson's lips curled up in disgust at the mention of Vinnie's name. Mine and Lula's did, too.

"That's one job I wouldn't want," Mrs. Calvani said.

"Me, either," I told her."Some days I can barely stand working for him."

"Speakin' of workin'," Lula said,"maybe we should get to it."

"I'm coming. It was nice talking to you," I said to both Mrs. Calvani and Mrs. Wendelson.

"I'll let you know if I make any headway with your mother," Mrs. Wendelson told me.

"Huh?" Lula said."She gets to butt in, but I can't?"

I waited until we were mostly out of earshot before answering."Some things are beyond my control," I said to Lula, as I grabbed a bag of barbecue chips,"and Mrs. Wendelson is one of them."

Lula grabbed two other flavors and then we moved on to Tastykakes. When we felt sufficiently stocked for the afternoon, we checked out and headed back to the car.

Lula put the shopping bags beside her in the passenger's seat, opened the box of Butterscotch Krimpets, and handed me one.

"So, where we going?"

"Church Street," I told her."We're looking for another pervert today."

"We're goin' after a _perver_t who lives on _Church_ Street?" Lula asked.

"Yep."

"Figures."

"What'd he get arrested for?" Lula asked me.

"I'd rather not say out loud."

Lula picked up one of the folders and read through the file on Donaldson.

Her eyes flew open."Am I reading what I think I'm reading?"

"Yes. He had romantic relations with a street sign." I congratulated myself for not throwing up my Tastykake.

"How'd he do that? Last time I saw, signposts were missin' the necessary openings."

"I didn't ask. And neither will you."

"One night last month when I couldn't sleep, I was flippin' channels and I saw a show ..."

"Stop," I told her."Whatever this reminds you of, I don't want to hear anything about it."

"Are you sure? It was real eye-openin'. There are all kinds of weirdos out there. Not just the ones that used to pay me."

"I've never been surer. There isn't enough booze in New Jersey to make me forget the details."

"I see your point."

I drove slowly down Church Street and we lucked out, catching Donaldson Craig just as he was about to get into his car. I hope we weren't going to interrupt his date with a parking meter or something. I shook my head at the nauseating thought, parked the Cayenne behind his Camry so he couldn't escape, and sent a silent prayer to God that Craig wouldn't try to get away and total my car in the process. Sure he had stuff to do, but even God had to agree that this car was much too beautiful to smash.

Lula took off as soon as I killed the engine. I hurried out after her, but it turns out I didn't have to. Lula had it covered. Literally.

"That was easy," Lula said, getting off of Donaldson's spread-eagled body. The unfortunate result of a Lula takedown.

"It would be, considering you just body-slammed a guy who wasn't even attempting to escape," I said to her.

I put cuffs on Donaldson and helped him stand up.

"Sorry about that," I said to him."Lula tends to leap before she looks."

"No problem," he said, with a smile on his face that made me long for a can of disinfectant spray."I enjoyed it. That was the most skin-on-skin contact I've had in awhile."

Yuck.

"You'd better not be gettin' any ideas about me," Lula said."I may like a lot of different shit, but I'm a_ lady_. And I ain't into whatever it is you got goin' on in that nasty little head of yours. Now I know why you didn't show up for court. If I had to tell people that I was attracted to an inanimate object, I'd refuse to go, too. At least mine has batteries and can do something back."

"Uh, Lula," I said to her,"that's way too much information."

"Not for me," Donaldson said, giving Lula a wink.

"Don't you dare wink at me," Lula told him."I ain't interested in no sign lovin' nut."

Well, I know what my nightmares will be about tonight. Maybe Ranger can keep me awake through most of it to prevent me from having any.

I secured Craig in the back of the Cayenne and took off to the Trenton PD. I unloaded him at the station, got my receipt, and slid back behind the wheel in under twenty minutes.

"That was fast. Who do we got next?" Lula asked.

"Lavinia Pikello. She lives on Central Street. You'll like her. She broke into a house, cleaned it from top to bottom, and left behind a bill for the homeowner. Even put her name and address on it so they'd know where to send a check."

"You're shittin' me?"

"Nope."

"We got all the crazy ones today," Lula said.

"I don't care how sleazy or crazy they are as long as they aren't naked or shooting at us."

"I bet if we gave that last guy any attention, he would have been naked before we could stun gun him. Maybe he should set up shop on Stark. They got a whole lot of shot-out street lights that aren't being used for anything anyway. He just might find his soul mate there."

My poor brain was going to need to be scrubbed when I got home if this kept up. The scary part is that Donaldson Craig _would_ probably be popular with the people frequenting Stark for something other than drugs.

I sent Ranger a quick text, telling him that I was okay and had already picked up one skip, before Lula and I left the station and circled back to Lavinia's place.

I parked in front of the light blue house that was listed as Lavinia's current address. There was a car in the drive and I was hoping our luck would hold out and she'd also be easy to capture. The Tastykakes had mostly worn off and I didn't think Lula was up for another flying tackle.

We got out of the Porsche, and Lula went to the back of the house while I knocked on the front door.

"Can I help you?" A guy who definitely wasn't Lavinia asked, after opening the door to me.

"I'm Stephanie Plum and I work for Vincent Plum Bail Bonds. I'm looking for Lavinia, she missed her court date."

"She's not here. Fuck," he said."I was afraid something like this would happen."

"What do you mean?" I asked."You knew she wasn't planning on showing up and you didn't do anything?"

"I wanted to take her away for the week," he told me."I found out that her court appearance was at the end of the same week, but she told me that it was okay and she'd handle it."

"She handled it by pulling a no-show," I told him.

"If I wouldn't have pushed her to take a vacation, she probably would have gone. That woman never stops moving. She has no idea what the word_ relax _means. I thought that if I could take her away for a couple of days she'd calm down a little, but it looks like I just made things worse for her."

"Not really," I said, feeling a little bad for him. It was sweet of him to want to do something like that for her."Lavinia just has to come with me and be rebonded out. If I can get her to the station soon, she should be able to avoid spending the night in jail."

"What the heck's goin' on now?" Lula asked, coming over to us."I was waitin' for somethin' to happen, but I didn't hear no yellin' or gunshots so I came back to check on you. I should've known that somebody would be talkin' your ear off again."

"Lavinia's not here," I told her.

"Are you her boyfriend?" Lula asked, looking him over.

"Yeah."

"She's must be doing something right," Lula said to him.

I'd notice, too, that he was cute and had a nice smile. He wasn't Ranger hot, but he had a few things going for him and he seemed like a decent guy. I was hoping that Lavinia would have a similar personality to his.

"Do you know where she is right now?" I asked him.

"She went to get some coffee," he told me.

"That's a real good idea," Lula said."I could go for some coffee."

I thought that if Lavinia is as high-strung as her boyfriend claimed, the last thing she needs is coffee.

"Is she at Starbucks?" I asked.

"Yeah. She likes those fancy lattes with the whipped cream on them."

That explains the cleaning bill. You'd need a little extra cash if you got them on a regular basis. Those frickin' things are expensive.

"You ready for a coffee run?" I asked Lula.

"Heck yeah. I can feel my blood sugar dropping as we speak. I could use a boost."

Somehow I didn't think low blood sugar was Lula's problem.

"You're not going to arrest her, are you?" The guy asked me.

"Not really," I said, lying a little. It wouldn't be good if he called her up and told her to get the hell out of there before we showed up."I just need to bring her to the station to get her back into the system and then I'll call someone to bail her out again."

"Should I be doing something?" He asked me.

"What's your name?"

"Charlie."

"Okay, Charlie," I said to him,"don't tell her that we're on our way. If we get her quickly, she'll probably be able to call you in about an hour to come pick her up."

"So I should wait here?" He asked.

"Yeah."

"Okay."

Lula and I walked back to the car.

"This has been a good day so far," Lula said, as she buckled herself in.

"It has. And you might have just jinxed it for us by saying that out loud."

Lula and I pulled into the Starbucks lot ten minutes later. We both took another look at Lavinia's picture before leaving the car again.

"Why can't she live next door to me?" Lula said."She wouldn't even have to break in to clean, I'd leave my door open for her. Instead, I got neighbors like that sign sicko."

I'd been lucky. All my old neighbors were ... well _old_. And now I got to live in a building full of Ranger approved people. All my pervert associations were strictly work related. Thank God.

"We'll both go in," I told Lula."I'd prefer to grab her outside, so you can get something as long as you keep an eye out, and an ear open, for either me or Lavinia while you're in line. It's a small place and picking her out shouldn't be difficult. I'll stick close to where she is, and if she doesn't pay much attention to me, I'll follow her out and cuff her away from the building."

"I can do that. What happens if _I_ see her first?"

"You forget about the coffee and do the following instead. I'll be right behind you. Let's roll."

The place wasn't all that crowded when we walked in, and I spotted Lavinia immediately. I nodded my head in her direction and Lula gave me a thumbs up. I took my time looking through the bags of coffee and mugs they had for sale, waiting for Lavinia to leave the building. After five minutes of reading about the differences between a dark roast coffee bean and a lightly roasted one, I saw Lavinia finally pick up her cup and the magazine she'd been flipping through and walk outside.

I counted to five and followed behind her. She'd almost reached her car when I made my way over to her. Lavinia had her coffee and a cigarette in one hand and the magazine in the other, so I felt confident that she couldn't pull a gun on me even if she wanted to.

"Lavinia?" I asked, stepping close enough to grab her if I had to.

"Yeah?"

"I work for your bail bondsman Vincent Plum. And I've been authorized to bring you in since you skipped out on your court date."

"I had plans," she said, looking more put out than angry.

"Yeah, you did. At the _courthouse_."

"You're telling me that if the guy you've been in love with for years_ finally _decided to take you out of town for a romantic getaway, you wouldn't bail on one stupid appointment?"

That was a tough one. If Ranger announced that he was kidnapping me, I would happily ignore all other prior commitments. But _I_ wouldn't have done something in the first place to get myself arrested, so I wouldn't be breaking the law by running away with my boyfriend.

"All I was doing was something nice for someone, and they busted my ass for it," she told me, grinding the butt of her cigarette into the parking lot's asphalt."But I wasn't really wanting to go to court anyway."

"You don't have a say in it. You_ have _to show up in court. They tend to want to arrest you when you don't," I told her."And if you were doing a 'nice thing' for somebody, you wouldn't have charged them for it."

"Yeah, that wasn't one of my smarter days," she said."Next time I'll use a P.O. Box."

_Next time?_

I let her put everything but her handbag inside her car to be picked up later before cuffing her. I'd just buckled her into the backseat of the Cayenne when Lula joined us, carrying two coffees and a small bag.

"You got her?" She asked.

"Yeah, no thanks to you."

"What? She didn't look like she was in that big of a hurry. And all those coffee fumes really made me want one. Plus, they're now sellin' these brownies. I couldn't pass them up."

"We still have chips and stuff in the car," I told her.

"But now I can save those in case my date's a dud tonight."

I hated to admit it, but she made sense.

We got back into the Cayenne and I drove to the TPD again. It was a little busier this time, and it took longer to process Lavinia than Donaldson. She was much better company, though, so the wait didn't bother me.

Lula drank most of her latte, and ate all of the brownies, by the time I got out of the building and back behind the wheel.

I narrowed my eyes at her."You could have at least saved me one," I told her.

Things had gone surprisingly well, but it had still been a long day and a brownie would have been a nice way to end it.

"How do you know I got more than one?" She asked me.

"I've never seen you get only one of _anything_ before," I said, taking a sip of the cold coffee. At least she had left me _that._

"You got me. But you were taking forever in there. And before I knew it, the bag was empty. And because I feel real bad and all, you can have the rest of the Tastykakes."

"Gee, thanks, " I said sarcastically, even though I was pretty happy with that arrangement. It's never good to let Lula know that you got the better end of the deal.

I took us back to Vinnie's and got my capture money from Connie.

"I knew you'd get both of them today," she told me.

"Yeah, things are looking up for me," I said to her.

And there was no sarcasm, real _or_ fake, when I said it. I felt like my life _had_ recently taken a turn for the better.

"Both of them not being armed helped a lot," I added.

I finished my coffee, dumped the cup in the trash, and waved goodbye to Lula and Connie before heading home. Rangeman has felt like home to me for quite a while, but it was still strange to be able to really call it that.

Ranger was waiting for me when I pulled into the garage. I didn't know if he just got in himself, or if he'd been alerted by Hal in the control room that I was on my way back. Really, it didn't matter. I was just happy to see him. And after remembering what I had started with him last night in this very garage, which he spent most of the night finishing, I was also more than a little excited.

I parked next to his Turbo, picked up the remaining snack bag, and slid out of the car.

"Hey, Babe," he said, when I met him near the elevator.

"Hey, yourself," I said back.

He cupped my face in his hand and kissed me thoroughly.

"Wow," I said, taking a much needed lungful of air when he pulled back."You must have missed me."

"I did. Tank isn't who I would have liked to have spent the day with."

"I hope you didn't say that to him," I said to Ranger."You'll hurt Tank's feelings."

"You're assuming that Tank _has _feelings, Steph," Ranger said.

"He does. What I figured out since working with all the guys here, is that the bigger the man, the more emotional he is. They just hide it better."

"I don't think they want you to know that, Steph. They consider it classified information."

"I promise not to tell anyone," I told him,"no matter how much I'm tortured."

"They'll sleep better at night hearing that," he said to me, his lips smiling a little.

His arm went around me as he pressed the elevator button for the seventh floor.

"Did you catch both of your skips?" Ranger asked, when the doors closed in front of us.

"Yes. You can erase me from your calendar."

"There were no problems?"

"Lula and one skip grossed me out a bit," I told him."But other than that, we had no issues today."

"Good. I didn't know if I should be relieved or disappointed that you didn't call to tell me that we'd be working together tomorrow."

"Relieved," I told him."I was trying to get done quickly so I could get back here and harass you sooner, but everyone was chatty today."

"Everyone?" Ranger asked, as we stepped off onto seven.

"I'll fill you in on all of it," I said."Maybe over a glass of wine."

"Coming up, Babe," Ranger said.

I followed him to the kitchen to put the remaining Tastykakes, and the chips I grabbed before Lula managed to get out of the Cayenne, into my reserved kitchen cabinet.

"Babe," Ranger said, catching me trying to stash everything without him seeing exactly what I had.

"It was Lula," I told Ranger."She insisted on stopping at Giovichinni's before we went after anyone."

"Giovichinni's?"

"Yes." I knew what he was thinking, and I was quick in reassuring him."It turned out pretty good. Not only did Connie and Lula tell me how much they were behind us, I bumped into two Burg heavy-hitters who aren't happy with how my mother acted towards me. I always thought that my mother was the type of person the Burg celebrated, but I'd been wrong. For every Helen Plum and Grandma Bella, there is a Mrs. Wendelson and Mrs. Calvani."

"I knew there would be," Ranger said, opening a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon.

I didn't know how sexy a man could look opening a bottle of wine before Ranger. Dickie didn't look sexy doing _anything_, and the men I dated before and after him were all beer guys. Some days Ranger was a beer guy, too, but he was all about diversity.

"Yeah, but_ I _didn't," I said, taking the glass of wine he poured for me.

I walked into the living room and settled onto the couch. Ranger came in right behind me, and I patted the spot beside me. He sat down, put both of our glasses on the coffee table, and pulled me into his arms.

"Start at the beginning," Ranger said, when I was sitting practically on top of him.

"Okay, but you may want me to leave off the Lula/Donaldson conversation."

"That's your call. I'm more curious about your conversation at Giovichinni's"

"Sure," I said, as my arm found its way around his waist when I snuggled closer.

I didn't need a La-Z-Boy recliner when I had a warm, deliciously-scented Ranger, to curl up into at the end of the day.

I told him everything Connie and Lula said, along with how my mother's actions were the ones in question this time. Ranger listened intently to what I was saying, asking a few questions here and there, and it occurred to me that this is really my life now. I have a man to come home to who was genuinely interested in how I spent the hours away from him, a group of friends - however crazy - wanting to stand up for me, and a community that I'd always thought didn't approve of me willing to go to bat with my mother just to help us mend our relationship. I didn't know if that was going to be possible, but the life that I'm living right now is more than enough for me.


	18. Chapter 18

**I wasn't going to do another Joe chapter, but it seemed unrealistic not to hear from him again after Stephanie moved. I didn't think anyone would want to read a chapter of Helen's thoughts, but your support of it made me think that you'd also tolerate this one. I tried to keep it shorter than my usual chapters, though, just in case. And I'm posting this earlier than usual, too, because I'm hoping to have the start of a new story out this week. All characters belong to Janet.**

**Joe's POV**

I didn't think my life could completely change without me even being around to see it happen. I decided to use up some of my vacation time to clear my head and get out of Trenton for a week, which turned into two when the thought of returning to Trenton held little appeal. I was trying to distance myself from Stephanie so I could figure out what the hell I was going to do about her. Although she seemed happy with Manoso, I still prayed that once I got back to town, they would have already gone their separate ways. I knew it was a long shot, because ever since she became 'friends' with Ranger, you couldn't be near Stephanie without him interrupting for some stupid reason. But it'd be hard for Ranger to hide what an asshole he is from Stephanie if they continued to spend every fucking minute together. Unfortunately, _I'm_ the only one who sees him as an asshole. Everyone else, including Stephanie, worships the fucking ground his feet walk on, and act like they're the freakin' chosen ones if he even glances in their direction. You couldn't help but envy the frickin' prick.

And it really pissed me off that Ranger never saw me as a serious threat, even when I'd been engaged to Stephanie. He knew the second he called, Steph would drop whatever she's doing and run straight to him. If I didn't have a healthy ego, I might've believed that I'd lost Stephanie for good, but I _know_ she loves me and we have a history between us that even _Ranger_ can't come close to touching.

It didn't take me long to learn that everything had gone to hell. Instead of staying with Bob and unpacking all my gear, I let Bob into the house and took off to Stephanie's apartment. Mooch and I had gone camping along the Jersey/Pennsylvania border, the kind of camping where the only luxuries we had with us was toilet paper and beer. No cell phones and no contact with the outside world, which just made me miss Steph more. That was the only excuse I had for heading to her apartment when I wasn't even sure what the hell I was going to say to her when she opened the door._ If _she opened the door. I wouldn't let myself think about what I'd do if Manoso was there with her.

When I stepped off the elevator on the second floor of her building, I saw that Stephanie's door was wide open. I knew that ever since Benito, she kept her door shut and locked. Seeing it open made me automatically reach for the gun I didn't feel comfortable without, even during my days off when I shouldn't have a use for it. I didn't see the Cayenne, or any other car that would pass for a Rangeman vehicle. I also didn't see a shitbox that Steph would have bought herself if Ranger was no longer supplying her with a car.

I had my gun in my hand, but I left it at my side as I walked to her front door. I heard a noise inside and I cautiously looked through the doorway only to find Dillon, the building's super, painting the living room.

I was just about to ask him what the latest disaster had been - I was thinking molotov cocktail - when my cop instincts kicked in, telling me something wasn't right here. There was no furniture, or anything_ at all _of Stephanie's, in the rooms I could see from where I was standing. Even when most of her apartment had been severely burned, she still had _something_ left behind. Even if it was just a charred reminder of the crime that had taken place. Knowing Ranger, and how he likes throwing his money around, he probably offered to furnish the entire place for her, making sure she felt well compensated for her time when he eventually dumped her. I shook my head. I had to stop thinking that or I'd risk pissing Stephanie off again. I already had too many marks against me to add more now.

"What happened, Dillon?" I asked him."Another fire bomb? And where is Stephanie's furniture? It couldn't have all been destroyed."

Dillon jumped."Uh ... hi, Joe."

"What's wrong?" I asked, noting the panicked look on his face."Is it Stephanie? Did she get hurt?"

I was so used to her escaping whatever trouble she got into, it didn't occur to me that she might have been hurt this time.

"Not that I know of," Dillon said."She sounded okay when I talked to her the other day."

I let out the breath I'd been holding. I made a mental note to pick up more Rolaids on the way home. I think I used up my supply of them the last time I talked to Stephanie. The short vacation helped, but the second I saw her open door the acid started churning.

"So where is Steph? You said that you talked to her," I said to Dillon."She doesn't have another stalker does she?"

I wouldn't put it past Manoso to use that as an excuse to keep Stephanie close if she gave him the same speech she often gave me about needing space, or that she was missing her 'independence'.

"I thought you would've heard," Dillon said, uncertainly.

"I've been out of town. Heard what? Just spit it out, Dillon," I told him, not caring what I sounded like.

"Steph moved out," he said, looking longingly at his paint roller, probably preferring to get back to inhaling paint fumes than talk to me.

"Moved out?" I repeated."When? _Where?" _

Though I had a pretty fucking good idea of _where_ she was right now. God, how I hated that fucker.

"Steph called me out of the blue one day and said that she was giving the place up. The very next day she came over with Ranger and a couple of the men she works with. A few hours later, she was gone. Really upset the neighbors, too. Everyone liked having her here. We're missing her already."

"How long has she been gone?" I asked him.

I didn't want the answer, but I had to know.

"A week and half maybe," Dillon told me."Closer to two, now."

She must have moved soon after I left. Fuck. I was off in the middle of fucking nowhere, drinking beer and having a pretty good time, as good a time as I could have knowing that Steph might still be with Ranger, and she was here packing up her life and moving into that damn brick mausoleum.

"Are you okay?" Dillon asked me.

"Yeah."

I didn't know if he believed me, but I couldn't force myself to care.

"The owner already has a few people interested in renting this apartment, so I'm trying to finish quickly. I'm just glad that no one blew up anything before Steph left. The repairs were minimal. I should be done today or early tomorrow."

"I'll get out of your way then," I told Dillon, and turned to go.

"I'm sorry you had to hear this from me," Dillon said before I cleared the door.

"It's no problem, Dillon," I said to him."It's my own damn fault for being stupid enough to come here."

I walked out of Steph's apartment for what I knew_ now _was really the last time. I took the stairs down, not wanting to be alone with my thoughts even for the short elevator ride. I got back into my SUV, wishing I'd brought Bob with me just for the company.

I sat in the lot of her apartment building, her _old_ apartment building, for a few minutes before deciding to get all the gory details from the one woman who rivaled Stephanie's Grandma Mazur in knowing everyone else's business. I started the engine and drove to my mom's house.

"Oh, Joseph," she said as soon as she saw me."I tried to call you when I found out about Stephanie, but my call went right to message. I thought that if you got back here, you'd be able to fix this."

"And _what_ exactly am I fixing?" I asked, sitting down at the kitchen table."Dillon told me Steph moved out. Is there more to the story?"

"From what I've pieced together, Stephanie moved out of her apartment and into that bounty hunter's building ..."

She stopped talking and looked sympathetically at me when she caught the flash of pain those words caused. Ever since I inherited my Aunt Rose's house, I could see Steph and I living in it together. I thought it would take her a little time to warm up to the idea, but I would never have guessed that she would flat out refuse to live with me, only to move into a fucking_ apartment _with a man who has done nothing but use her from the second he laid eyes on her.

"Go ahead," I told her."I want to know everything."

"Stephanie and Ranger broke the news to Helen, and from what Mavis down at the beauty shop told me, Helen was upset that Stephanie wasn't repairing things with you - which I for one am glad that Helen feels that way about you, everyone knows that the two of you belong together - anyway, Stephanie got angry and they had a huge blow up. As far as I know, they haven't spoken since."

"Stephanie wouldn't give up her family for a guy, even one who thinks he's King Shit."

"What have I told you about your language?" She asked me.

"That I should clean it up. But, Mom, I know Steph, she _never_ stands up to her mother. And she sure as hell wouldn't start now just because of Ranger."

"_Joseph_," she said, the warning was obvious to anyone who grew up hearing it.

"Sorry. She sure as _heck_ wouldn't risk hurting her family for someone like Ranger."

She grimaced.

"What?" I asked.

I knew that look. It was the one she used to give us right before she told us that the old man drank his paycheck again and we wouldn't have money for anything extra that week.

"Helen seems to be the only one on the outs with Stephanie," my mom told me."You know Mrs. Calvani, don't you?"

"Yeah," I said to her."I remember her."

"She told me that Edna, Frank, and her sister Valerie Kloughn had dinner there the other night. And they all had an excellent time."

"Had dinner _where_?"

"At their apartment," she said.

The burning in my stomach kicked up a notch at her using the words_ 'their apartment'_.

"You're kidding?" I said, finally.

Somehow I couldn't picture Badass Ranger, the cocky sonofabitch that I've had to put up with for years, hosting a fucking dinner party for Stephanie's family.

"No. Edna has been telling everyone who will listen about it. Apparently his housekeeper made the meal ..."

"Ella," I told my mom."His housekeeper's name is Ella."

"Yes, that's it," she said."I remember now."

"Steph loves her."

"Well, I heard that Helen certainly doesn't."

"What do you mean?" I asked her."As far as I know, Helen hasn't met Ella."

"Joseph, sometimes you can be such a ..._ man_."

"Thanks. Now can you please tell me what the heck you're talking about?"

She sighed."This Ella woman is encroaching on Helen's relationship with Stephanie."

"How do you figure that?"

"Maybe it's something only a mother would understand. But if another woman was taking over my role in my child's life, I know _I'd _be upset."

"And that's what Helen is feeling?" I asked her."That Ella is stealing Stephanie away from her."

That would also sum up what I've been feeling ever since Ranger took a less than professional interest in Stephanie.

"I think so," my mother said."And I'd bet anything that Ella and Stephanie's friendship added to their disagreement."

"How bad was the fight?" I asked her.

"I'd guess _bad_, since Stephanie refuses to talk to her," she said.

I had a hard time believing that. Stephanie has always caved under the constant judgement of her mother, which pushed Steph towards me most of the time so I never tried to stop Helen, and I can't believe that after thirty years Steph would decide to change now.

My mother dropped her voice as if someone was going to suddenly overhear our conversation.

"Helen even made the effort to call her, and Stephanie just hung up the phone. I can't imagine one of you ever being that mad at me."

"How do you know all of this?"

I didn't think my mother and Helen Plum were close enough to be discussing something like this.

"I have my sources." She narrowed her eyes at me."And they only repeat what they know is true."

"Sure they do," I said to her."So Stephanie is now living with Ranger, she isn't speaking to her mother, and her family is happy to have dinner in Ranger's building? And all of this happened while Mooch and I were gone?"

"Yes. I _told_ you not to go."

"I wish to hell I hadn't now."

"I know you're upset, but I will wash your mouth out if you keep that up."

I let my head drop onto the table. What the fuck was I going to do now? I was pinning everything on Ranger getting bored with Stephanie, which would give me another shot with her, but this changed things. How could I convince Steph that Ranger wasn't interested in a long term _anything_ if he fucking asked her to move in with him? I should have known that he'd see how special she is and not want to let her go once he got her away from me.

I could relate to what Helen's going through. I didn't know what to do with _this_ Stephanie. I couldn't get her to stay more than a month with me in my house, let alone get her to give up the place she's been mostly happy living in. God knows I tried, though. I asked her to marry me, gave multiple ultimatums, and fought constantly to get her to see that we were meant to spend our lives together. And now she's given up her apartment, her mother, and probably her common sense to stay with Ranger. I always knew that he was a good manipulator, but this made him the reigning king.

"Joseph," my mom said quietly to me.

And it was then that I felt her patting my head in comfort. And somehow, that made me feel worse. I was so pathetic that my own mother felt sorry for me.

"What are you going to do now?" She asked me, repeating the same question I'd just asked myself.

I lifted my head and rubbed my eyes with both of my hands. Crap. This is really happening.

"I don't know," I told her."I was really counting on them splitting up on their own by now."

"Can't you do something?" She asked me."I know Stephanie loves you."

"Yeah, she does, but you don't know Manoso, Mom. He can convince you that the moon is made of cheese if he has a few minutes to kill."

"So you're giving up?"

"I don't know what else I_ can _do," I told her."If I try to take Steph away from Ranger, you'll be minus a child. He's a possessive bastard."

I felt the light slap to the side of my head.

"Sorry," I said again.

"Maybe if you talk to Helen, and repair what's wrong between them, Stephanie will reconsider her choices."

"Stephanie's as stubborn as they come," I told my mom."If Steph's mad at Helen, she's going to stay that way until she's ready to forgive her."

"I hope they're able to work this out. Helen is abrasive at times, but I think she means well. I've seen her myself scorch the ears off of someone when she caught them saying something nasty about Stephanie at Giovichinni's."

"I'm surprised," I said to her."She's always giving Stephanie a hard time."

"I know Helen was hard on you, too, when you started seeing Stephanie."

"Mrs. Plum should have been. I didn't deserve Stephanie. I still don't."

"You're too hard on yourself. Any woman would be thrilled to be with you."

"Except the woman I want who's apparently happy with Ranger," I said, standing up.

It was time to get going before I start to completely wallow in self-pity.

"Maybe this is just a phase Stephanie has to go through before she comes back to you."

I sighed."I wish. Unfortunately, it's not up to me right now."

"It could be," she said."I would start by giving her mother a call. If you can convince Helen to talk to her, it could help Stephanie see what a great man you are."

"You're my mother," I told her,"you _have_ to think I'm great."

"But in this case, I'm telling the truth."

I kissed her cheek."Thanks, Mom. It's nice to know that there's at least one woman in Trenton that doesn't want to kill me."

"Stephanie doesn't want to kill you, she's just confused."

"I think it's more than that, but I'm still holding out hope," I said, heading to the door."I'll call you tomorrow."

"You'd better," she told me.

I walked back to my vehicle and got behind the wheel. For some reason I wasn't ready to go home yet. I pulled my phone out of my pocket and looked at it for a solid minute before I decided to do what my mother told me to.

The phone rang twice before Stephanie's mother answered.

"Mrs. Plum?" I said into the phone."It's Joe Morelli."

"Oh, Joseph, what a … pleasant surprise," she said, making me think that calling her wasn't such a good idea after all."It's nice to hear from you. How have you been?"

"Actually, I've been out of town. I just got back today."

"Work?" She asked.

"Not really. Listen, my mother just told me about you and Stephanie, and I wanted to see if I could do anything to help."

"That's really sweet of you, Joseph, but I don't know what to do myself, so I doubt anyone else does."

"Let me be the judge of that," I said to her."Tell me what happened."

"I'm assuming you heard about Stephanie's recent move?"

"Yes."

And I was still mad as hell that he talked her into doing it for him. I tried everything but outright begging to get her to agree to live with me, and Steph always told me to go to hell not long after.

"Well ... the first mistake I made was saying that I was concerned about some of those men that work in the same building she'd be living in."

"I agree with you there," I told her."You _should_ have concerns about them. They're a scary bunch."

"Thank you. It's good to know that I'm not the only one who has reservations about Stephanie's latest decision."

I had a lot more than _reservations_. I thought Stephanie was out of her fucking mind for choosing Ranger.

"I probably shouldn't say this because I know you care about Stephanie ..."

"It's okay. I'm a big boy. I can take it."

"I was worried that Ranger was taking advantage of her."

"Mrs. Plum, I worry about that, too."

"But, Joseph," she said,"what if we don't need to?"

"How do you figure that?" I asked.

Ranger couldn't possible have gotten Helen Plum to defend him, could he?

"At first I thought that Ranger was going to take over Stephanie's life, and then leave her with nothing when he decided he didn't want to be in a serious relationship."

"I admit that I don't know much about Ranger," I said to her,"but what I_ do _know does support that."

"And I still thought that until my mother filled me in on how Ranger treated them, and also Stephanie, when Valerie, Frank, and my mother had dinner there. And she also told me that the men they met that night were sweet. My mother seemed especially taken with the one they call Cal."

_Sweet_ would be the last word I'd ever use to describe those thugs. And Grandma Mazur now had a thing for the tattooed freak? I think I left the woods only to end up in the Twilight Zone.

"I still can't picture Ranger and Grandma Mazur together in the same building, never mind_ his _building."

She gave a little laugh."I think_ everyone _was surprised at his invitation. He was even brave enough to let my mother fire a gun while she was there."

For one horrible moment I thought about ways I could use that information to help me get between Steph and Ranger, but then her words came back to me,_"I'm worried that you'd use any time spent with me just to piss off Ranger, or to try to get information about our relationship to cause problems between us,_" and I felt like a bigger asshole than Manoso.

"Sounds like Mrs. Mazur had a good time. But what were you saying about how Ranger treated Stephanie?"

"According to my mother, Ranger was kind, considerate, and attentive to Stephanie throughout the entire evening. And would you believe that Stephanie has hung up family pictures in their living room? I could barely get her to have her picture _taken_, and now she's hanging them up. I couldn't bring myself to ask if there was one of me. I doubt it after the way I acted."

I couldn't help Mrs. Plum with her obvious pain, because I had too much of my own to work through before I could even answer. I couldn't stand the thought of _my_ Stephanie settling into another man's home.

"Um ... no," I managed to choke out."I _can't_ see her doing that."

"Oh ... I'm so sorry, Joseph," she said."I wasn't thinking about how you might feel hearing that. I seem to not be able to keep my mouth shut these days."

I guess I wasn't hiding my feelings as well as I thought. But before I could comment on my mental state, I heard Stephanie's dad in the background.

"Helen, that isn't Joe Morelli you're talking to, is it? Haven't you learned your lesson about sticking your nose in Stephanie's business?"

I've never heard Frank say so much at one time, and in that way, before. I guess Stephanie hasn't been the only one undergoing some changes while I've been gone.

"I have to go," Helen said to me right before she disconnected.

"Good going, Morelli," I said out loud to myself."Instead of causing problems in Stephanie and Ranger's relationship, you've created bigger ones between her parents." Now I'd have to call my mother and tell her what just happened before more rumors are started when Grandma Mazur got wind of this.

"Hey, Mom," I said to her. It seemed stupid to call from her driveway, but I didn't want to see her pitying look again."It's me. I did what you suggested and called Stephanie's mother, but her dad walked in while we were on the phone. Did you forget to tell me something?"

"Oh, that's not good," she said."Why didn't I think about that? I should have warned you, this fight with Stephanie has put a strain on their marriage."

Shit. And I'd just made things worse.

"I'll do what I can in the way of damage control," she assured me,"since this is partly my fault."

"No, it's _mine_," I told her."If I would've thought about somebody other than myself, her parents wouldn't be fighting right now."

"You_ were _thinking of someone else," my mother told me."You were thinking about _Stephanie_."

"That's always been the problem. Whenever I think about Stephanie, my brain checks out."

"That's because you love her. And I hope Stephanie realizes that. She's done wonders in getting you to settle down."

"Yeah, the only thing wrong with that is _Stephanie_ didn'twantto settle down." Then I thought about where she is, and what she's probably doing right now."At least, she didn't want to with _me_."

"I'm sure she'll come around soon," she said.

"Thanks, Mom," I said, all at once feeling very tired."But this time, I don't think she will."

I hung up and tossed the phone onto the passenger's seat. I pulled out of my mother's driveway and made my way back to Slater Street and Bob. As I was getting closer to my house, I couldn't help thinking that although I love Bob, the thought of having him to come home to at night, and not Stephanie, made me want to just keep driving and not look back.

I saw Stephanie two days later at the Shop n Bag when I was picking up groceries for my still empty house. I had food for Bob, but human food was scarce. I've been ordering lunch out while I was working, picked up pizza on the way home from the station, and I was currently living off leftovers until today when I finally decided that it was time to get things back to normal. Or as close to normal as I could get them.

Stephanie was shopping with a woman I didn't recognize on sight, but I knew it was Ella from everything Steph has told me about her.

I couldn't stop my feet from bringing me over to them.

"Hey, Cupcake," I said.

I smiled when she jumped at the sound of my voice, almost dropping the can she had in her hand.

"Hi, Joe," she said to me.

I could see that she wasn't sure what to say to me. And I regretted the part I played in that. I looked at the products in her hands.

"The brown sugar I can understand, but you're buying_ fruit_?" I asked, nodding to the can of pineapple rings she was holding."You _hate_ fruit."

"No, I don't," she said.

"Stephanie wants to learn how to make a Pineapple-Upside-Down cake," Ella said.

"Oh, Joe, this is Ella," Steph said."Ella meet Joe Morelli."

"I've heard a lot about you, Ella," I said to her.

"I hope it was all good."

"I dare anyone to find _anything_ bad to say about you," Steph said to her.

"Stephanie has done nothing but sing your praises since she's met you," I told Ella, before turning to Stephanie."Are you forgetting that you don't cook?" I asked her."And you definitely do not bake."

She sighed."Things change, Joe," she said to me."_People_ change."

I studied her beautiful face, the face that I've loved since we were teenagers, and a huge ache started to form in my chest.

"Yeah ... I guess they do."

The hope I had mentioned to my mother earlier died a little when I saw Stephanie light up just as I heard that damn voice behind me.

"Welcome back, Morelli," Manoso said, walking up to Steph like he was the type of person who shopped regularly at the Shop n Bag.

"Back from where?" Stephanie asked.

"I went camping with Mooch," I told her.

Her eyes widened in disbelief."You _chose_ to go camping? _On purpose_?"

"Steph, there are people that find being surrounded by nature, with no distractions, relaxing," Ranger said to her.

"Well I know for sure that I'm not one of them," Steph said."Lying on the beach at Point Pleasant is the closest I'll ever want to come to nature or to 'roughing it'."

Unfortunately for me, I remembered the red bikini she wore one time when we spent a day there. Even worse, Manoso picked up on it.

"If you want to keep your head in one piece, Morelli," he told me,"then I suggest you quickly forget about whatever just put that look on your face."

I had to bite my tongue almost in half to keep from telling him to go fuck himself. I have a past with Stephanie, and I shouldn't have to apologize for it, but that would just push Stephanie closer to him. I pressed my lips together and reminded myself of what happened to Helen when she didn't keep_ her _mouth closed.

"Ranger, you don't have to threaten someone every thirty seconds to keep the world spinning," Stephanie told him."Joe wasn't doing anything."

"He was doing something, Steph," Ranger said."You just didn't see it."

"Stephanie," Ella said,"don't try to reason with Ranger. I've found it next to impossible."

"And yet you still choose to work for me," Ranger said to her.

"It's a tough job," Ella said,"but someone has to do it."

I took another look around me. Yup, it was still Ranger standing here in the canned food aisle of the Shop n Bag, joking around with his housekeeper who was trying to show Stephanie how to bake. Maybe there's a chance that these last two days have really been just a nightmare I'd wake up from soon or I could be getting a call any minute from someone telling me that hell had finally frozen over.

"Speaking of _jobs_," Stephanie said to Ranger,"I thought you were in the middle of one. What are you doing here?"

"I finished earlier than expected. I was on my way home when I spoke to Hal. He mentioned that you were here, and that you wanted them to test out a recipe you'd be tackling once you got back home. I thought Hal was speaking in code for a minute, and that you'd been kidnapped again and he was being fed lines to say to me."

"I_ was _kidnapped," Steph said."By_ Ella_."

"You need to know what to buy if you're attempting any recipe," she said to Steph.

I actually felt like I was intruding. I've known Stephanie for almost my entire life, I knew Ranger for a while before Stephanie ever met him, and Ella was technically an employee of Ranger's, and yet_ I _was the one standing there like a fucking outsider.

"Have you got everything?" Ranger asked Steph.

"Just about," Steph said."Ella has everything else we need. We just have to get cherries to put with these." She held up the can of pineapples to him."And then grab some eggs."

"I won't hold you guys up any longer." I completely ignored Ranger, which only made the asshole smirk at me, and smiled over at Ella and Steph."It was nice meeting you, Ella. And you take care of yourself, Steph," I said to her, catching her eye, hoping she saw that I was letting her go. For now. But if Manoso fucked up I'd be right there to pick up the pieces, even if it killed her to let me do it.

"You, too, Joe. I'll see you around?" Stephanie phrasing it as a question made me see that she knew I'd come to a decision. She didn't have to know about me still wanting her back. That would be a conversation for another time._ If _I'm lucky enough to have it.

I walked a few aisles over to one that would give me a clear view of the exit, and pretended that I gave a fuck about what bottled water I was going to buy because I didn't want anyone to know that I was watching the door. When the three of them checked out, I had to clench my jaw so I wouldn't make a fool out of myself. It was one of the worst things I've ever seen, and I've had to look at some horrible shit since I started working homicide. But seeing Stephanie walk out of the grocery store with Ella and Ranger - a frickin'_ grocery store _for fuck's sake - laughing, clutching the arm Ranger wasn't carrying the bag of groceries with, looking like the epitome of a happy family nearly killed me. That was supposed to be _my_ life with Stephanie. I'd pictured it over and over again. Except it was _my_ mother teaching Stephanie to cook, and _I_ would be the one meeting her here just because I wanted to see her after a long day at work, and most of all, that smile on her face would have been for_ me_.

I took a few painful breaths before manning up and walking out of the store empty-handed. Witnessing that little domestic scene made me realize that I'd lost way more than just my appetite.

**A/N: I was thinking of different ways of handling Joe, and this chapter, but I don't know how this story is going to end yet, or when, so I wanted to make sure that I'd be able to tie up any loose ends, so I made Joe let Steph go while also still holding onto some hope that he'd have a chance with her again in case I need him to reappear later on.**


End file.
